Ink vs Petals
by KseniaLynn
Summary: Marshall Lee Abadeer liked the florist next door. She was sweet, and pretty, and owned a fucking flower shoppe.
1. Chapter 1

Marshall Lee Abadeer liked the florist next door. She was sweet, and pretty, and owned a fucking flower shoppe. Every time she opened her shoppe she would change the arrangements in the window to show all the pretty flowers she had. And they were gorgeous. Her shoppe had the usual roses and lilies and daisies and all those pretty ones, but she also had exotic flowers he'd ever seen before. Large multicolored ones with dots and big leaves, and small ones that looked like a bud hanging off a vine. He swore he saw one glow one time. A few days he was tempted to go in and tell her some cheesy pick up line like "hey baby, you have any short blond flowers with blue eyes for sale," or "are you a flower? Cuz, baby, I'd pick you,". But he never did. Why? Because she pretty much hated him.  
Marshall owned a small tattoo parlor/piercing studio right next to her, and sometimes his kinda customers scare away her customers. Can you really blame them? What if you saw a tall, big, burly man with a burlier mustache giving you the stink eyes as he walked in to the tattoo parlor next door? You'd fucking run, that's what you'd do. Actually, Trunks is a sweetheart and has really sensitive skin, so he sometimes cries when he gets his ink done. He just has an eye problem. But that wasn't the only reason she hated. The one time they did talk he must've accidentally offended her, but he wasn't sure how. He faintly recalls saying something about tattooing being more exciting than silly flowers. After that is when she started ordering her exotic flowers. Marshall loved them, and she got twice as much business.  
He had to talk to her. He'd go insane if he didn't. Every morning she would arrive before he did, already sorting the different flowers in the front as he walked past to his parlor. A few times he stopped to look at the arrangements and smile at the pretty colors, and then notice her glance up at him. Whenever they accidentally made eye contact she instantly looked back at her flowers. Maybe it was the glare in the window, but he thought he saw her blush slightly. He smiled and continued to his tattoo parlor to find Trunks already there waiting for him.  
"Morning, Trunks. What's up?" Marshall greeted as he pulled out his keys.  
"Morning, Marshall. I'm so sorry to bother you, but I think it's infected," he said pointing to the fresh tattoo he had received the other day. Marshall looked confused. Infected? He always cleaned his needles and tools, there is no way any of his customers had gotten an infection.  
"Let me see," Marshall knelt down as Trunks pulled up his basketball shorts to showcase his inner thigh. He carefully peeled back the bandage slightly and looked at the red skin and pretty design. Trunks always got red when Marshall worked on him, he's got pale and sensitive skin. But this wasn't infected. He stuck the bandage back in place and stood up.  
"Don't worry, Trunks, it's not infected," he assured him.  
"But why does it hurt oh so much?" He asked, his southern accent starting to peek in his voice.  
"The inner thigh is a very sensitive area on the human body, it'll take a little bit longer than usual for it to become completely pain free," he explained.  
"Okay, thank you so much, Marshall," he grinned and shook his hand.  
"No problem, Trunks. Come again whenever you please," he smiled and turned to open his parlor.  
The day went on as usual. A few customers in the morning and scheduled ones from weeks or even months ago. Sometimes a tourist would come in with a bouquet of flowers and an ice cream cone from the previous shoppes and parlors down the strip. He'd only offer his smaller ones to those customers somewhere unseen so they wouldn't regret it later. Tourists only came a few times through out the month, but when they did come they were a bit annoying. They were so giddy and excited, and for some reason they thought Marshall wanted to hear all about their day in town despite the fact that he's lived uptown for his entire life. That's another reason he only offered his smaller ones. The quicker the better. Today he had a tourist and her sister, and they both asked for some kind of heart on their wrists. He did, and they paid and then left. They kept chatting about the blond in the flower shoppe, and how cute and old fashioned her store was. For once, Marshall actually listened to what they were saying.  
At the end of the day, he sat back in his tattooing chair and sighed. The sun was setting and the flouriest was supposedly closing her shoppe about now. He knew because when she locked her door her keys would jingle and sometimes she'd drop them. He smiled every time she did. The jingling came just as expected along with the drop and her grumbling about her silly butterfingers when he heard a squeal. His eyes snapped open and he stood up. His front wall was made completely of windows so people could see his parlor better, but before he could peek out his door he heard giggles and relaxed.  
"Fionna!" Cake squealed, tackling her short friend and giggling as she stumbled back and tried to regain her balance.  
"Cake, what the fuck?" She hissed.  
"Girl, I haven't seen you in weeks! What have you been doing?"  
"I've been busy with the shoppe, I've been getting a lot of customers lately," she told her trying to pry off the tall, olive skinned woman.  
"Really? You've barely even texted me! We need to hang out, and do something," Cake decided and hugging her tighter.  
"Cake...please let go," Fionna begged. Cake rolled her eyes and released the blond, dusting off her shoulder and patting her golden locks.  
"C'mon, it's not even ten. Let's go out tonight," she begged. Fionna shook her head.  
"No, I have to work tomorrow," she informed her.  
"No you don't," Cake replied. "Saturday's you get off, it says so on your window," she pointed to the cute little sign reading "open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday except Saturdays" with a smiley face at the end.  
"Is it really Friday? I didn't even notice," Fionna muttered scratching her head in confusion.  
"No way! You never said your shoppe was next to a tattoo parlor!" Cake exclaimed noticing the sign in front of the parlor.  
"What?" She turned to see the parlor that Cake was gawking at. "Oh yeah, he moved in a few months ago. He's kinda annoying."  
"He?" She questioned. Fionna nodded. "Is he hot?" Fionna blushed at Cakes blunt question.  
"I-I dunno, I've only talked to him once, and he said tattooing would be more fun than standing in a pollen cloud," she grumbled at the memory. He had not respect for flowers, they were so much more than allergy machines. Just because he has them doesn't mean he can totally bash on flowers.  
"What's his name?" She asked.  
Fionna shrugged and said, "I dunno, I forgot." Cake rolled her eyes.  
"C'mon, I need a butterfly on my neck," she said grabbing her pale wrist.  
"W-what! Are you crazy! You're not just spontaneously getting a tattoo just to talk to him!" Fionna protested and tried to twist her wrist from Cake's grip. All attempts where futile, of course. Cake could probably lift a fucking truck if she put her mind to it.  
"Spontaneous? I've been wanting a cliché butterfly tattoo since I was 12," Cake reminded her and dragged her to the parlor door.  
"Cake, that's- ugh! No-"  
Fionna shut up as soon as she was tugged in to the dense building. The walls were littered with tattoo designs and pictures of old customers (she assumed). He also had band posters and the little amount of wall that was exposed was made of brick. Dozens of binders were on table tops and there was a black chair in the right corner of the room with a light hanging above it. There was a table next to it as well along with a smaller one with his tools, and a counter on the other side of the room with a **CASH** register. It had a more modern feel to it than Fionna's small turquoise and white shoppe next door. The music sounded grungy and had a classic rock n' roll feel to it. It wasn't too loud, and it wasn't exactly what Fionna was expecting. She was expecting more of the "emo" and "punk" genera's, but this was a pleasant surprise.  
"Sorry, store's closed," Marshall said from behind the counter. He was sorting out today's paper work and didn't even bother looking up at the two ladies. His black hair fell over his eyes and his tall lanky body was dressed in a grey flannel and black skinnies. Fionna felt nervous. He was actually quite attractive. Cake was speechless as well. She gaped at the beautiful stranger and tried to find something to say.  
"Uh, Fionna wants a tattoo on her ass," she blurted. Marshall looked up and furrowed his brows, looking between the two of them.  
"W-what! No I don't, you're the one who wants a tattoo!" Fionna blushed deeply. No way she would let him stick a needle in her ass. Marshall instantly recognized the flustard blond and quirked the corner of his lips.  
"An ass tattoo? That's a painful place to get a tattoo," he said.  
"Any place is a painful place to get a tattoo," she snarked and crossed her arms.  
"Fionna, don't be rude," Cake whispered to her. Marshall chuckled.  
"You're right, but some places are more bearable than others," he stacked up his papers neatly and set his pen down. "So, why are you really here?" He asked.  
"I'm wondering that myself," Fionna grumbled to herself.  
"Oh, I wanted to get a tattoo," Cake announced with a smile.  
"On your ass or no?" He joked walking around the counter and over to his tools. She giggled.  
"No, my neck."  
"Small, or big?" He spoke while sorting out the colors and his tools.  
"Uh, small," she answered.  
"Well, since your order isn't too tall I can stay open a bit longer," he smiled and looked up from his hands. "What kinda design were you thinking?"  
"Just a little butterfly." Marshall set down one of his tools he was cleaning and picked up one of the various binders.  
"Okay then, let's get started."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: talking

Cake shivered as she felt the cool Cotten pad against her neck, the alcohol leaving an unattractive smell in her nose. Her nape felt numb once he pulled away and she took a deep breath. Fionna sat in a chair next to her, a bored look upon her face as she watched Marshall prepare his tattoo gun. His latex gloves smoothed over Cakes neck and she took a deep breath.

"You nervous?" Fionna asked her. She nodded and took her friends hand. Fionna rolled her eyes and smiled slightly.

"You got yourself in to this. I honestly thought you would've been tougher," Fionna teased as the faint buzz of the machine suddenly flicked on. Cake flinched at the sound and squeezed Fionna's hand.

"Is it gone hurt a lot?" She asked shutting her eyes.

"Uh, yeah. I'm literally about to stab you repeatedly with a needle dipped in color," he said. Fionna glared at him as she felt Cake squeeze her hand tighter. Marshall noticed her disapproving look and hated to think about how cute yet intimidating she looked at the same time. "What?"

"At least try to be sensitive, she's scared," she spoke harshly and rubbed Cake's shoulder.

"I'm just telling it how it is," he defended.

"'Telling it how it is' is a great way to scare the shit out of your customers," she snarked.

"My customers usually know what they're getting themselves into and I don't have to," he retorted shutting off the gun.

"You can't expect all your customers to be fully informed about tattoos, how many tourists have you scared 'telling it how it is'?"

"None. They're too excited to even listen," he answered starting to get irritated.

"Guys?" Cake spoke.

"I don't even know why tourists get a tattoo, it's barely a souvenir and if you ask me its a waste of time, money, and pain."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't ask you, isn't it?" He growled setting down the gun entirely.

"Well, maybe you should've. It's not a surprise you didn't since you obviously have no consideration for others," she snarked.

"Guys, serious-"

"I have consideration for others!" He snapped.

"Is that why you scared Cake about something she's never done before? Plus, the way you said it was kinda rude," she jibed.

"How was it rude?"

"It sounded like you thought she was dumb for not knowing everything about stupid tattooing."

"It's the basic concept of tattoos!"

"Guys! Shut it!" Cake shouted. Fionna gaped and then shut her mouth while Marshall kept his as a thin angry line. "I just want a purple and pink butterfly tattoo on the back of my neck, could you guys not argue while that's happening?" She snapped. They both nodded. "Thank you. Marshall, please continue."

The machine clicked on again and buzzed as Marshall tore his glare from Fionna's and started on Cake's nape. She winched, but stayed relatively still as he worked. Her body shivered, and Fionna rubbed her thumb against the back of Cake's hand to comfort her. Cake had never had a high pain tolerance, so Fionna was honestly surprised she was so willing to get a tattoo. On the other hand, she's always been a bit unpredictable. After about a half an hour Marshall took the gun from her neck and the buzzing stopped. He wiped her neck one last time and sealed it with a soft bandage.

"Keep that on for 2-24 hours, and when you take it off gently wash it with Lukewarm water and unscented soap. Don't hold it directly under the water and pat it with a paper towel then let it air dry. After that apply some ointment. Do that 3-5 times a day until it's fully healed. It'll take anywhere from 3-6 weeks. Don't work out, or wear tight clothing, or scratch it, or submerge it it water. Also avoid direct sunlight and swelling," he instructed as he cleaned off his gun.

"Got it," Cake smiled and reached up to wipe away some wetness from her eyes.

"You okay? How you feeling?" Fionna asked while rubbing her back.

"Well, it was definitely a pain in the neck," she joked. Marshall chuckled and Fionna giggled, leaning her head on her shoulder and patting her arm.

"Good one, Cake," she smiled.

"Thanks. It did hurt, but not as much as I anticipated," Cake smiled back.

"Good, I'm glad you're not dying from the pain," Fionna teased. Cake laughed a bit and got off the chair. She had already paid Marshall for his services before he had started.

"Hey, Fi, you wanna go get a few drinks down at Marty's?" Cake asked.

"Sure, but only one. I don't wanna stay up too late," Fionna replied.

"Awesome," she then turned to Marshall and beamed. "You wanna come with us?" Fionna nearly choked on her own spit. Did Cake seriously ask him that! Why! It was obvious they were oil and water! Him joining them would be a bad idea!

"Uh…now?" He furrowed his brows and looked at his watch.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we got a drink, and you seem pretty cool," she said.

"Um, I dunno. I'm working tomorrow," he told her.

"You work Saturdays?" Fionna asked out of the blue. He looked over to her.

"Yea, I take Sunday's off instead."

"That's interesting, most of the shops close on Saturdays," she replied.

"Yeah, well when I'm the only shop open its busier than usual," he explained.

"I guess that makes some sense…" she mumbled. Cake grinned as Fionna looked away from Marshall and to the floor.

"Anyways, how about just one drink?" Cake offered. Marshall turned back to her and scratched his head.

"I guess one drink wouldn't hurt anything," he said.

"Awesome!"

"Marty's is seriously the coolest bar ever. Have you ever been?" Cake asked Marshall as they approached the quaint bar.

"No, I moved down to this part of town a few months ago. I used to live uptown with my parents," he told her.

"Wow, I heard uptown is really fancy. Did they sell anything dipped in gold like watches, rings, shoes, purses, ice cream?" Marshall chuckled.

"No, but everyone is rich or their parents are rich, and everyone is a snob. I didn't really like it up there," he explained as they entered the bar. Fionna was silent as the two continued their conversation and they sat at the nearly empty bar.

"What'll it be for tonight?" The bartender asked.

"Three beers, please," Cake ordered politely with a smile.

"Tap or bottle?"

"Bottle is fine," she replied.

The bartender nodded and set out a beer in front of each of them. Fionna sat with Cake as a divider between herself and Marshall, silently drinking her beer as they talked. She spoke a few times whenever Cake talked to her or asked a question, other than that she was silently wishing she was at home. If it was just Cake she would be fine, but that tattoo guy irritated her for some reason. Whenever she glanced over at him she found that he was already looking at her. His eyes quickly shifted back to Cake when she simply turned her head towards him. What was his problem? Did he wanna fight? She would fight him. She had no doubt she could kick his ass in five seconds. Now when she glanced over she was glaring, and rolled her eyes in disgust whenever he lingered his gaze. She finished her beer first and called for another one, getting more worked up over his possibly threatening gazes. Fionna was so fucking ready to beat this guy up. One more look and he was going down.

"I gotta go to the bathroom, be right back," Cake said with a hiccup and a slight giggle as she ran off to the little girls room. Fionna sighed deeply and met the halfway mark of her second beer. She looked over one more time and nearly pulled out her hair when she met his gaze. She glared at him and looked him up and down. He had a little muscle, but he was mostly skinny scrawny. She could totally pummel his ass in to the ground.

"What the fuck is your deal?" She asked harshly after realizing he wasn't looking away.

"Huh?"

"You keep looking at me. What do you want?" She questioned sipping her beer again.

"Nothing…you're the one who's been glaring at me this whole time," he pointed out.

"Because you keep looking at me. What? You wanna fight me?" She asked turning in her stool to face him. He looked at her in confusion.

"Fight you? You think I want to fight you?" She nodded.

"Why else would you be starring at me?" He shrugged and shifted to the edge of his stool so he was closer to her.

"I dunno, maybe I think your pretty and I like looking at you," he said leaning his elbow on the bar. She blushed and hardened her glare.

"S-shut up, you don't think that," she grumbled turning back to her beer. He chuckled.

"I actually do think you're pretty. You're very pretty. Dare I say it, you're absolutely gorgeous," he smirked as her cheeks got redder with each word. She gulped the rest of her beer and called for a third.

"You're so annoying," she growled and sipped her third. Marshall rolled his eyes, he wasn't getting anywhere fast with her. He didn't know how long he had until Cake came back.

"I get it, you hate me. Can you drop that? I don't even know why you hate me," he scoffed. Her eyes flicked over to see him glaring at his own bottle as well.

"Because you're so cocky and full of yourself. You don't care about others, and you're just annoying," she said.

"What else would I be filled with? There's no one else inside me, so why don't I take up some space?" Fionna rolled her eyes.

"God, you're just…" she turned to him and scrunched her lips angrily, unsure of how to really express in words how aggravating she found him. "Ugh! You're just ugh!"

"I'm 'ugh'? What does that mean?" He questioned facing her again.

"It means we can't get along, no matter how hard we try you'll always be so annoying," she tried to explain, leaning forward to intimidate him.

"Maybe if you tried to remove that stick up your ass I wouldn't be so annoying," he retorted leaning forward as well. Her jaw dropped in offense.

"God, why did Cake even invite you. Right now _you're _the stick up my ass," she jibed.

"I guess we just can't be around each other, can we?"

"No, we can't."

"Fine."

"_Fine." _Marshall then got up out of his seat, but instead of walking out the door he marched straight up to Fionna and placed his lips over hers. Her almost drunk brain barely registered it, and she clutched the front of his shirt. Marshall let his arm snake around her waist as he pulled back. "Fine."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: mistakes

Fionna's mind woke up before she wanted to open her eyes. She could feel all four beers she had last night right in her head as she winced at the sunlight that must've been shining through her window. Except she didn't have a window in her bedroom, and there was no way the sun could touch her in her sleep. She squeezed her eyes tightly, ignoring that fact and snuggling closer in her blanket. For some reason she feel warmer around her waist and her back and shoulders. That's definitely strange, she didn't feel the weight of her two cats on the end of her bed. Did Miskers and Wittens not come to bed last night? They always came to bed. Did they not like her anymore? Did they need to go to the vet? Did she need to get new cats? Or just more cats. More cats for her to slowly chase away from the edge of her bed two at a time.

Her eyes snapped open as she felt the warmth around her waist squeeze her. Kisses were pressed against her neck and down between her shoulder blades. Oh fuck, she wasn't wearing any clothes! She was about to completely freak out about who the fuck was in her bed and…wait, this wasn't her bed. Her sheets are blue, not white. And her floor is not in desperate need of vacuuming. Fuck, what happened last night. Kisses weren't the only thing being pressed to her body. Only then did she register the heat along her back as another person. Another person who was currently kissing her nape and caressing her hip. The kisses lead up to her ear and she waited for the mystery man to reveal his voice to her.

"Good morning," murmured a familiar husky voice. Her eyes widened, and she jerked up to see Marshall laying next to her with a smug smile on his face. Her jaw dropped, and remembered she was naked and pulled the covers over her chest.

"M-Marshall? What the fuck? What happened?" She asked looking around the room.

It was kinda obvious what had happened, but she was really trying to figure out _how. _How did he manage to get her in bed? When did they stop arguing and start kissing? She couldn't think clearly and saw her blouse on the edge of the bed and her skirt near his door. Her bra was hanging off of a guitar stand, yet she couldn't seem to spot her panties.

"Well, it's kinda obvious what happened. How it happened…I'm not so sure myself," he replied laying flat on his back.

"How did I even get here? And where is my underwear?" She asked.

"Oh," Marshall lifted one of the pillows and pulled out her plain white underwear from underneath it. He stretched it with his fingers and smiled at the memories from last night. "Here it is," he grinned and held them up. She glared at him and snatched them from his hands, instantly getting out of his bed and slipping them on. He watched as she walked over to his guitar stand to claimed her bra, promptly putting it back on and continuing to gather the rest of her clothes.

"Wait, are you already leaving?" He asked sitting up.

"Don't you have work today?" She snarked. He frowned.

"Yeah, but that's later. C'mon, at least stay for breakfast," he quickly picked his boxers from the ground and pulled them back up.

"No, I have to run errands and place new orders and go grocery shopping and not be around you," she spoke hurriedly as she bent down to pick up her skirt. Marshall smirked.

"Nice boy-shorts, you wear those often?" He teased. She squeaked and quickly turned so her behind was facing away from him.

"D-don't look at my ass! And no, I don't. T-they were the only clean pair and I have to do laundry," she glared and started slipping her skirt on.

"Well, I've done worse than looking," he said and stepped in front of her, a smug grin contradicting the lustful gleam in his eyes. She blushed as he reached out for her hip. "Unless you hardly remember last night, I have no problem jogging your memory," he bit his lip and ducked down to gently kiss her neck. His lips feathered over the hickeys he left last night and curved in to a grin before kissing her again. Fionna frowned. What was happening? They already did that stuff while they were drunk and stupid, why is he doing that? Unless…he actually wanted to be with her…shit. She gently pushed him back.

"Uh, Marshall. You do know that last night was a mistake, right?" She asked. He chuckled.

"Then last night was the best mistake I ever made. I wouldn't mind making the same mistake again, would you?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her body against his as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Wait…I do mind…we shouldn't…Marshall…" she said between kisses, but eventually stopped as he softly pushed her against his wall.

She didn't know what to do or say. A part of her was screaming to go home and forget it ever happened, but another part of her was telling her how fucking fantastic Marshall was at kissing. His lips practically danced with hers and tempted her to kiss back. But she had errands! So many thing to do! And what about Cake? What happened to Cake…and, what time was it…and, God why is he so good at kissing? She finally gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back just as his tongue pressed against hers. He smiled and pulled back slightly to grin down at her. Fionna frowned and instantly put her arms back to her sides, slightly disappointed he stopped. The blond let her head rest against the wall, her mind weighing the pros and cons of staying. Instead of kissing her lips again he resumed against her neck. Marshall kissed up and down the purplish spots on her skin and nipped at her ear lobe.

"You're awfully quiet," he murmured and continued to kiss her skin.

"I'm thinking," she replied.

"About what?"

"…staying," she mumbled. He chuckled and smoothed his hand over her figure.

"Is that really something to think about?"

"Y…you're distracting me," she stammered as he started to unzip her skirt again.

"Mmm…I think those boy-shorts look really good on you. I'd love to see them again," he whispered and slid his hands down her undone skirt. Fionna gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth once he grabbed her ass.

"W-where did Cake go last night?" She asked.

"She went home, we walked her there," he informed her.

"And after that?" He grinned.

"I think you can guess what happened next." Fionna sighed as he kissed her collar bones and then pushed him back again. He backed off on his own, but was taken by surprise when she shoved him back on to his bed. The tiny girl climbed over him, glaring down at him before leaning down to kiss him.

"Was it something like this?" She asked. He shook his head, slightly dazed by how fast she gained control over him.

"No, it was a little flipped," he replied and looked down at her lips again. She smirked, that was the first time she smiled this morning, and leaned down for another kiss. Before her lips met his she pulled back.

"You do know this is a one time thing, and that after I leave this never happened, right?" She asked sternly. He nodded, getting a bit impatient as he glanced to her lips. "Oh, and you can't tell anyone, understood?"

"Yes, I get it. We never fucked and you still hate me. It's in my brain," he sassed. She rolled her eyes.

"God, you are _so_ annoying. Put those lips to better use and kiss me," she ordered.

He did as she asked, smiling slightly before he did and tugging down her tight skirt. It rejoined the floor next to Marshall's flannel from last night. His tongue was quick to engage hers as they inched further back on the mattress and his hands drifted back over her tush. He dug his fingers under the fabric and groaned slightly as how creamy and soft her skin was. She was so pale she made him look like he had an intense tan. He loved that. It didn't take long for him to trace around her underwear and tease slightly between her thighs. She barely noticed it until he cupped her sex and she moaned loudly and involuntarily.

"Fuck you," she managed, his fingers working throughly against her panties.

"You like that?" He smiled.

She nodded and pushed her hips against his fingers. He flipped her over and watched her squirm underneath him. Fionna panted as his fingers pushed harder. She wanted more. Before she could even ask he replaced his hand with his own hips, rolling and grinding against her as she moaned helplessly. He gripped her hips and bit his lip, reaching for his night stand and finally finding a spare condom. Without warning he stripped off her bra and panties and pulled down his boxers. She waited as he opened and rolled on the condom, asking herself if she was really doing this sober when he repositioned himself over her.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yes, just fuck me already," she demanded impatiently. He rolled his eyes and slowly pushed in. She gasped at the stretch and he stopped.

"You oka-"

"Yes, fucking go," she barked, sweat starting to roll down her back. He did so and continued. She purred happily as he drew back, and then in just as slowly.

"Geez, don't go so slow. I'm not a virgin," she urged digging her fingers in to his hair.

"That's kinda obvious," he muttered and quickened his pace.

She moaned at his change of pace and smiled as he kissed over her neck and down her naked chest. He pressed his tongue to her nipple and grabbed her other breast with his hand. Her breath hitched as this happened, rocking her hips with his as her lungs demanded more air and her body demanded more pleasure. She would ask for more, but he probably wouldn't listen. He groaned as her hips bucked in to his and rested his forehead between her breasts. It only took a few more thrusts for her to cum and roll her head back as she moaned loudly. Her body fell flat against his mattress and her chest heaved while he continued two more thrusts before grunting and breathing heavy as well. They laid there panting until Fionna pulled him out of her and wiggled out from underneath him.

"Where…are you going?" He asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Home," she answered finding her clothes again.

"R…really? Aren't you tired after that?" He question. She looked back at him over her shoulder as she clipped on her bra.

"After what? Nothing happened, remember? Besides, I have a busy day and you just pushed back my schedule. I gotta get going."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: invitation

"No, nothing happened last night," Fionna spoke in to the phone as she folded her clothes.

"I don't believe you, I saw him kiss you at the bar while I was in the bathroom. Something went down," Cake replied stubbornly. Fionna sighed.

"He's delusional. One minute we're arguing, and the next he's kissing me. I dunno why. He must think we've got one of those I-hate-you-so-much-I'm-attracted-to-you relationships. Which, we don't," Fionna said and placed her folded clothes in to her basket. Cake frowned on the other end. She had been interrogating Fionna for an hour, and she still hasn't spilled. It was starting to get irritating how good she was at lying.

"C'mon, Fi, drop the act and tell me what happeeeeeeeeeened," she begged.

"There's no act, nothing happened whatsoever. We dropped you off at your apartment, and then he dropped me off at my apartment, and then he went to his apartment. Wow, we all live in apartments."

"We live in a busy city, what did you expect?"

"True, but I'm serious when I say nothing happened," Fionna set down her basket of folded laundry and opened the first drawer of her dresser.

"Oh yeah? Then how come you weren't at your apartment this morning?" Cake challenged. Fionna froze and almost dropped her phone. She forgot that Cake borrowed her coat that night. She must've came early to drop it off.

"Uh, I was running errands," she lied.

"At eight in the morning? That's when you make yourself breakfast," she reminded her.

"I had to get up early."

"For what?"

"My errands."

"What kind of errands?"

"Important ones."

"Fionna, just fucking confess that you slept with Marshall!" Cake snapped. Fionna grabbed at her hair and groaned.

"Fine! I had sex with Marshall last night! Are you happy?" Fionna shouted. Cake's jaw dropped along with her phone. She heard a faint hello from her phone on the counter as she gaped at her lunch. Shit, she wasn't expecting that. Well, she was, yet she wasn't. She was assuming something happened, but nothing like actual sex. Fionna hated his guts. How did he manage to get her in bed? Geez…

"Cake? Hello? Are you there?" Fionna asked. Cake snapped out of it and scrambled to pick up her phone and answer.

"You _actually_ had sex with Marshall?" She spoke finally.

"Yeah…twice," Fionna told her.

"Twice? When did you have time to do it twice!"

"Last night…and then this morn-"

"This morning! What the fuck?"

"I'm sorry, I don't even know why I did it," Fionna groaned again and placed her palm over her face. She let her head fall in shame and pressed it to her dresser.

"He's hot, Fi. The answer is in plain sight."

"I didn't sleep with him _just_ because he's hot. I was drunk, and it was a mistake," she sighed and closed her dresser before leaning against it and sliding down to the floor. "You can't tell anyone, and you can't ask him about it because we both decided that it never happened and whatever."

"Mm-hm, okay. Whatever. Anyways, how was it?" Cake asked eagerly.

"Huh?"

"The sex. How was it? Was he nice and slow, or was he rough and fast?" She growled a bit at the end like a cat to emphasize the rough part.

"Ew, why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious. Now spill."

"He…wasn't bad. It was good, but it's definitely not the best sex I've ever had," she reported, getting up and returning to her laundry.

"Really? He came off as the kinda guy who was so good a sex because he had so much of it," Cake said.

"Yeah, same, but I dunno. Maybe I just dislike him too much, y'know? Because he did all the right things, but I didn't really feel anything click between us."

"Ugh, you're making this sound like princess diaries but PG-13 version."

"What do you mean?" Fi questioned.

"You didn't feel anything click so it made the sex bad? That's exactly like Mia when she kissed that dude and her foot didn't pop," Cake explained.

"Well, maybe Mia has a point. It would be nice to have some kind of chemistry with someone before I have sex with them," Fionna pointed out.

"Honey, that's not really how one night stands work. At the least you need to be physically attractive to him, and you obviously are."

"Pffff, no way. He's so skinny scrawny, I could take him out in five seconds flat," she said.

"That's because you've been doing karate since you were fucking five. And he's not all skin and bones. He's got some muscle," Cake defended.

"Yeah? So what?" Cake rolled her eyes.

"So, it's useless denying that you think he's hot."

"Well of course he's hot, but-"

"Stop arguing with me," Cake interrupted. Fionna sighed.

"Sorry, I just feel really stupid," she mumbled.

"It's fine. You did drink more than him and me, so you could blame it on that," she suggested.

"Yeah, but how would that explain this morning. My hangover didn't make me have sex with him," she pointed out.

"Maybe he tempted you with his amazingly sexy bed head!" Cake exclaimed. Fionna laughed and grinned at her goofball friend.

"Yes, my biggest weakness! The skewed mess of dark, shaggy hair instantly gets my panties wet!" Fionna joked.

"Only the messiest hair can moisten thy panties! Any less and you'll have to fake it!" Cake said through her laughter. Fionna chortled and giggled as she finished up her laundry.

"Cake, you're the best," she giggled and carried her laundry basket back to her washing machine.

"Thanks man. You free tonight?" She asked.

"Ugh, I do not want to get drunk again. I always get this weird rash on my neck when I drink beer," she said and leaned against her washing machine.

"Was it a rash or a hickey this time?" Cake teased. Fionna smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Both, but seriously. No drinking for me tonight."

"Don't worry, I was just thinking of coming over with ice cream and maybe inspecting the damage he left behind."

"God, Cake, you are as subtle as a gun," Fionna snickered.

"I prefer sniper rifle."

"What ever, sniper. Be here by four with brownie chunks."

"Got it."

"See you tonight," Fionna smiled.

"Okay, bye!" Cake chirped before hanging up.

Fionna yawned and stretched her back, her body still stiff after this morning and last night. The hickeys across her neck would take days to fade, and she'd regret it every day. From now on whenever she sees him she'll be reminded of the stupid decision she made. If only she could turn back time and stop him from even kissing her in the first place. Why _did_ he kiss her? He barely had one drink, so he wasn't even tipsy. That worried her. Because if he purposely kissed her when he wasn't even drunk, then he felt something for her…right? Fionna groaned and buried her face in her hands. This was so frustrating. He made her feel like she was in high school again, and high school was not fun at all.

Hopefully he doesn't really like her and just wanted a quick fuck because she could not handle it if he actually liked her. Just imagining him as her boyfriend gave her a headache. He'd tease her all the time and end up really upsetting her and then try to fix it with some kind of cheep gift. They'd have the worst relationship in the history of worst relationships. Let's not forget that he's stubborn, and annoying, and obnoxious, and completely full of it. He needs to get a reality check. What happened is never going to happen again. Fionna sighed and shook her head. The memory of his seductive smirk…made her cringe. It would be best if they never spoke again.

She dropped her hands to her sides and made her way to her kitchen. Sun shone in from the small window over the sink, and Miskers was on the floor in the middle of it. Fionna giggled and crouched down to rub her warm belly and received a loud purr of approval.

"Someone's getting a little big. Maybe I can go to the pet store today and get a new scratching post," she grinned at her silver tabby. Miskers purred even louder and Wittens meowed next to his food bowl. "Oops, I guess you guys want some lunch," she stood up and filled the bowl next to the window. She smiled at Wittens and ran her fingers through his long white coat. "You're such a pretty kitty," she cooed.

The cat purred in response and Fionna turned her attention to the pile of mail in the middle of her counter. Her fingers sorted through the envelopes, mentally marking the bills and shoppe letters when she came across a deep purple envelope. She set down the others and noticed the logo on the top right corner before ripping it open. Once it was opened, she pulled out the content and started to read the letter.

"Dear Ms. Fionna Murtons…

We would like you to join us for our annual fundraiser Relay for Life at the Grandees Central Park on the 20th of June as one of our sponsors. If you are unfamiliar with Relay for Life, it is a 24 hour fundraising event created by the American Cancer Society, and all the funds go towards cancer patients and cancer research. As a sponsor you can, open up a stand at the event and sell some of your wonderful flowers. You'll get a bit of publicity, and we would like you put at least 50% of your funds you make during the event towards the American Cancer Society. If you are interested in our proposal, please contact us at…holy shit," Fionna gaped at the letter in front of her and then at Wittens who was still occupied with his lunch. "Wittens! Did you hear this!" She almost screened, picking up her snowy white cat and disrupting him from his meal.

"I'm gonna be a sponsor!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: awkward interactions

"Do you got it?" Fionna asked Cake, securing the last leg of their open tent and peaking over at her.

"A-almost…there!" She stuttered and sighed once it was secured as well.

"Awesome, and thanks again for helping me with this thing," she said as she started to set up the table.

"No problem, girl. This sounds super rad. I had no idea they did this every year," she replied while unpacking the flowers.

"Do you know who's camped next to us? It looks like they arrived super early," Fionna asked after she noticed the spot to her right. It has pictures of what looked like face paints, and a table with a large black box on top of it.

"Uh, I dunno. Lemme check," Cake took out a paper from her back pocket and looked through the map portion. "Uhmmm…I have no clue how to even read this map."

"Let me see it," Fionna took the map from Cake and looked at it. "Crap, neither can I."

"Is there someone we could ask?" Cake wondered.

"I dunno, but they'll have to show up sometime. It looks like they're a sponsor as well," she pointed out.

"I guess…do you know what they're doing for fundraising?" Cake asked.

"Uh, it looks like face painting," Fionna said looking over her shoulder.

"Hopefully they're nice. We're stuck with them for a good 24 hours, and I don't want it to be an annoying rivalry," Cake muttered while looking back at the map and trying to decipher it.

"I'm gonna start arranging the flowers and put the rest of the stuff in our tent," Fionna informed her.

"Okay…I'll try to figure out this damn map," Cake replied.

"Oh, and when you're done could you check the activity list and their times? I forgot a whole bunch of them and Lucy wants to know," she requested.

"Uh-huh."

Cake busied herself with the map as Fionna arranged and rearranged different bouquets. She had already set out a few the night before, but those were just regular groups of flowers. Roses, daisies, daffodils, etc. The florist did her best not to touch the delicate petals, and admired their lovely petals while she arranged them. She sighed and smiled before sniffing the new bouquet. A part of her secretly wishes no one would buy her flowers so she could keep the beautiful petals to herself. Their natural perfume always lingered on her blond locks and pale skin. Cake always asked what perfume or body spray she uses, but she just chuckles and says it comes with the job. The light breeze splayed strands of golden hair across her lips, instantly adhering to her Chapstick and vexing the pacified blond.

"Hey! Fi!" Cake shouted despite her only being three feet away. Fionna flinched and nearly dropped her flowers.

"Geez, Cake! Calm down, I'm right here," she snapped.

"Sorry, but I finally figured out this damn map!" She squealed with delight.

"Really?" She stepped closer to her friend and gazed upon the difficult map.

"Yeah, we're right here, and…our neighbor is this guy," she told her while pointing to their places.

"Okay, but who is it?" Fi asked.

"Uh…it says 'Bubba's Bakery'," she read.

"Oh, I know him. He owns the bakery two stores down. I've heard he's very nice and has a b-"

"Yeah, yeah. He sounds wonderful, but why would he be doing face painting?" Cake interrupted while looking skeptically to the set up to their right.

"Oh…yeah, that doesn't make sense. Who's on the other side?"

"Uh…I'm not sure, there's a stain on the map," she confessed sheepishly. Fionna rolled her eyes and smiled slightly at her friend.

"I guess we'll just have to continue to wait and see," Fionna shrugged and continued to set up when she heard her name being called.

"Fionna Murtons?" A short plump woman with a clipboard called. She wore her hair in a low pony with a purple shirt and white capris.

"That's me," Fionna smiled and walked out in to the sun. The lady smiled and looked back down to her clipboard.

"Great, I'm glad you could make it. You're shoppe is called 'Fionna's Flourishing Flowers,' correct?" She asked. Fionna nodded.

"Yup, that's me," she confirmed. The woman grinned and marked something down on her clipboard before looking back up to the blond.

"Excellent. For the next 24 hours your sponsor buddy will be the gentleman to your right," she told them.

"Who is that?" Cake asked. "We haven't seen him and we arrived a bit late."

"Uh…" the lady checked her clipboard, holding her pen to the page and reading across it before smiling again. "Ah! Here he is. His name is Marshall and he has a tattoo parlor called 'Think Ink,'" she informed them. Fionna almost threw up her cheep breakfast burrito. Did she say…

"Marshall? As in…Marshall Lee Abadeer?" Fionna questioned.

"That's the man exactly! Why? Do you know him?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, Fi definitely knows Mr. Abade-uh!" Cake was interrupted by Fionna's elbow jabbing in to her ribs.

"His shop is next to mine, and we…don't exactly get along," Fionna explained.

"Well, good thing it's only 24 hours, right? Hopefully you won't be jumping at each other's throats because some of these challenges require a lot of trust."

"Challenges?" Fionna repeated. The woman nodded.

"Yeah, the challenges."

"I'm sorry, what challenges?"

"The sponsor challenges. It's apart of the fundraiser. All of the sponsors have a partner and they all compete in a series of challenges. Everyone else can bet on the team they think is gonna win, and the winners get a nifty poster and a free 'American Cancer Society' tee-shirt," she informed them.

"Wait…I didn't read anything about challenges in the letter."

"Haven't you been receiving the emails? We've been sending separate emails specifically to the sponsors so they knew about this."

"Um…I can't recall receiving any extra emails…sorry," she admitted.

"It's fine, what you're wearing is fine, and it won't really matter if you lose. All that matters is you have fun, and kick cancers butt!" She exclaimed.

"Um…okay, but is there a way I could possibly switch partners or something?" She practically begged.

"I'm sorry, but if I move you to someone else the whole list is gonna be messed up. I'm sure you can set aside your differences for 24 hours in the name of cancer awareness, right?"

"I don't kno-"

"Well, if you're not that dedicated and refuse to play with your partner, you can sit out or pack up and leave," she said not as cheery as usual.

"W-wait! No, t-that's not what I'm saying-"

"Excellent! I'm so glad you are willing to cooperate with us and your partner," she smiled before walking off to the next tent.

Fionna stood with her jaw dropped to the floor. She still couldn't believe what she had been told, and she still couldn't believe that of all the people in this event she was stuck with the one she absolutely couldn't stand. Cake was just as shocked. Not because she was paired with Marshall, but because of how quickly that woman went from sweetheart to total bitch in five seconds. Needless to say, both girls were unhappy with what had just happened. After a few moments Fionna closed her jaw and raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. She groaned, and shifted her palm over her face.

"This is just fucking perfect," she growled.

"Wow…this is gonna be interesting to watch," Cake chuckled.

"Shut up," Fionna snapped.

"I'm gonna have to get an extra large bowl of popcorn for this. Wow!" She laughed.

"Cut it out, Cake," Fi frowned.

"Can I film this? I really wanna remember this forever," she provoked.

"Cake!" Fionna shouted. Instead of stopping, Cake disintegrated in to annoying giggles while Fionna hid her face. She grumbled before returning to her flowers, only to realize she had finished and had to haul all the boxes back to their car. The florist sighed and picked up the first box.

"I'm gonna put these back in the car, feel free to join me once you stop laughing your ass off," Fionna said.

"Yeah-ha-ha! Okay, h-have fun!" Cake snorted and clutched her stomach from laughing too hard.

"Shut your big mouth before you catch a fly!" Fionna shouted over her shoulder when she accidentally bumped in to someone and dropped the empty cardboard.

"Oof!" She grunted once she hit the gravel, catching herself with her palm and feeling the fresh cuts burn in her calloused skin.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," said a familiar voice as a hand was offered to Fionna. She accepted the helpful hand and allowed the stranger to pull her up.

"No, it's fine. I wasn't…" she trailed off as she found herself face to face with the one and only Marshall Lee Abadeer. He smirked at her sudden silence.

"Looking? I could tell by how loud you were yelling at Cake," he teased. His smirk widened enough to show his teeth as Fionna's cheeks flushed a dull pink. Oh crap. This was not good.

"U-uh, y-yea," she stuttered.

"So, your booth is next to mine, right?" He asked.

"Yup…unfortunately," she muttered the last part to herself while she looked down at the broken gravel.

"Cool, the lady told me we're partners," he told her. Fionna stared up at him firmly, confused by how he could talk so casually to her after…after what they "did" (even though they agreed it never happened…)

"Yeah. I heard." She said harshly. He chuckled.

"Look at us, we're having a normal conversation without jumping at each other throats. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," he joked, placing his hand on her shoulder and laughing slightly. Fionna instantly shrugged it off.

"Please don't touch me," she said sternly. Marshall blinked, pulling his hand away and shoving it back in to his pocket.

"Uh, okay…May I ask why?"

"You've touched me enough," she said before picking up her box and rushing past him. Marshall sighed and turned his head to watch her walk away, and then ran his fingers through his hair. It was quite warm today…he was starting to regret wearing jeans.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: icing on the cake

"A what?" Fionna questioned.

"A baking challenge," the woman repeated. Peggy, they found out, was her name.

"But, I have no idea how to bake."

"Yeah, me neither," Marshall added. Peggy laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. It's a box mix, so it's actually more of a decorating challenge," she assured them.

"Oh, okay. That sounds easy enough," Marshall said.

"I've never made a box cake! How does that work?" Fionna questioned, starting to have a mental freak out. How do you make a cake out of a box?

"It's just cake powder that comes in a box. All you add is like eggs and milk and oil," Marshall informed her.

"I've never cracked an egg either!" She shouted.

"Well, while you two discuss your game plan, I'll go and inform the other sponsors. The challenge starts in half an hour," Peggy chirped before continuing to the next sponsor booth.

"What do you mean you've never cracked an egg? Have you never made eggs?" Marshall asked.

"No, I haven't made anything. My mom did the cooking, and after that Cake would cook for me and herself," Fionna replied with her arms crossed.

"Are you serious? You need to learn how to cook." Fionna glared up at him, her lower lip automatically sticking out.

"No, you need to stop being so condescending. Just because you know how to bake a box cake doesn't mean that you can act like I'm completely incompetent," she snapped.

"You literally have never cracked an egg in your life! You just admitted that! That's the easiest thing. Fuck, I can do that!" Marshall pointed out.

"So? Doesn't mean I can't stir ingredients, or turn on a goddamn oven!"

"Guys! Stop shouting, you're making a scene," Cake interrupted. Fionna closed her mouth and looked over to her best friend. Marshall sighed and rolled his eyes.

"How did you two even get past first base? Geez," Cake muttered to herself loud enough for Fionna to hear. She slapped her arm and blushed violently.

"Hey!" She hissed. Fionna gave her the death stare as Marshall's annoyance was replaced with confusion.

"Is…something wrong?" He asked. Cake and Fionna both looked up to him and shook their heads.

"Nope." Cake said.

"Absolutely nothing." Fionna added. Marshall looked at them skeptically before Cake turned and walked away from the annoying and totally not amorous duo. The tattooist shook his head and sighed again.

"Look, I'm sorry if I insulted your 'cooking' skills, but we need to come up with a design," he said. Fionna furrowed her brows.

"Design?" She repeated nervously.

"Yeah. She said it was more of a design challenge," he reminded her.

"I'm…not that good with design," she confessed.

"What? You're a florist, of course you're good with design."

"I'm only good with colors…and I can't draw," she blushed as she spoke, keeping her eyes on the ground as she shifted her weight.

"Oh…you…oh," Marshall was at a loss for words. He ahead assumed she had some kind of drawing ability, but it appeared he was wrong.

"S-shut up, I'll be in charge of the colors and you can't do the stupid loopy shit with the frosting," she snarled. Marshall chuckled, snapping Fionna's eyes up to him. She blushed even deeper. His laugh…it was…attractive.

"You mean designs?" He questioned. She glared at him.

"Whatever," she grumbled.

"Hey, are you wearing sunscreen?" He asked.

"Yeah. Of course I am, it's a million degrees today. Why?"

"Your face seems a bit red," he noticed reaching forward to feel her temperature. She quickly slapped his hand away and covered her cheeks.

"Hey! What was that for?" He asked shaking it off. That actually kinda hurt…

"I said don't touch me," she growled.

"Geez, calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you," he hissed. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, like you could," she scoffed.

"No, I couldn't. Why the fuck would I?" He questioned. Fionna opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by a squeak emanating from the center of the park in the main shelter.

"Sponsors, please make your way to the center. Sponsors, please make your way to the center." Announced a voice that sounded a lot like Peggy's.

"Great. We just wasted half an hour on arguing," Fionna grumbled as she walked past Marshall and headed directly for the center.

"Hey-Fi, wait up-"

"Don't call me that."

Marshall took a deep breath and followed in silence. He was so over arguing with her right now. No matter what he did or say she would totally over-react. Did she really despise him that much? He knew that she totally regretted…spending the night, but they both agreed it never happened, right? So why was she acting this way? He thought he knew women and how they act, but this was completely out of his comprehension. Maybe he was being a bit touchy, or maybe she had a thing about personal space. Even if that was true it still doesn't explain her hostility towards him…When they arrived at the center shelter the other sponsors were already circled around Peggy.

"Okay, sponsors, who is excited for the first challenge!" She grinned. There were five sponsor teams, and a few of them cheered. The rest of them clapped, but Fionna kept her arms crossed out of anger. She couldn't believe she was stuck with him. This was going to be a long day.

"Great! I've already explained your challenge to you guys, and you'll be baking your cakes in Microwave ovens at your table. Your supplies are already set out, all you have to do is go to the table with your corresponding number and wait for people to gather around," she explained.

"What corresponding numbers?" Fionna muttered.

"Our team number. She told it to me and must've forgotten to tell you," Marshall leaned down and whispered in her ear while Peggy continued to ramble.

"Well, what number are we?" She asked.

"7," he answered.

Fionna nodded in response, and Marshall pulled away to return his attention to Peggy. The blond glanced up at him while he was occupied with Peggy's words. His eyes were focused, and his jaw was strong yet slack as he listened. His lips were pale, and his ears were littered with piercings. Black plugs stretched his lobes, and his cartilage must've had a good 5-6 studs in a row. It struck the florist how odd it was that this was the first she's noticed his ear jewelry. What was more odd was that she kinda liked how it looked. The plugs weren't too big, but typically any size would put her off. And any stud above the lobe made her stomach go sour. Yet…it looked good on him. It almost made him look even more attractive than he originally was. Fionna cursed herself as she realized she was staring and forced her gaze on to Peggy. She was certain his ears would put her off, but it only made her like him. What was wrong with her? Maybe it was the heat. She was thankful she decided to wear shorts today.

"Okay! Is everybody ready?" Peggy asked, her grin still plastered on her face. The teams nodded with a few enthusiastic "hell yeah"'s before she dismissed us to our set ups.

"So what design did you have in mind?" Fionna asked Marshall once they got to their counter.

"I was thinking some flowers maybe? Since your a florist and the big tattoo stereotype is roses and dragons," he said. She nodded and looked at the supplies in front of them. A box, a couple eggs, milk, a bowl, and a whisk was set in front of them. Next to the microwave was a small circle cake pan and non-stick spray. Marshall picked up the box and read the instructions as she stared down at the pan.

"So all you do is mix all of this stuff in a bowl and put it in the microwave?" She asked.

"Yup," he replied, popping his lips at the p.

"Okay then, sounds easy enough," she mumbled and slid her finger along the lip of the bowl as he read. It wasn't long before people has started to crowd around the sheltered center and Peggy had started the time. Everyone was mixing and pouring their ingredients around the same pace, but Fionna and Marshall had managed to get theirs in their microwave first.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: mindless wandering

What was he doing?

He couldn't even walk straight, yet there he was pressing a woman who hates him against his apartment door. His warm lips pressing again and again to hers as she magically reciprocated. For a moment he was certain she would push him back and slap him, but all she did was drive him crazy. Her soft, glittering locks like strings of gold in a twisted loom. She was the sun. Her mouth was as warm and her smile was as radiant as the star she was. He was certain from the first time he laid his eyes on her, from the first time he heard her bashful voice, that she was some kind of angelic being.

Maybe it was the beer, but it didn't matter because the alcohol was being washed away with her heavenly tongue pressing in to his. Marshall was ready to die right then and there, her timid gasps and sighs against his mouth another way of seducing him to his own death. She, undoubtably, would be his cause. Her curt and blunt personality was excused by her soft body and amorous flush speckled across her cheeks. But she proved her tongue to be just as sharp. He needed her. He needed that sharp tongue that would expectantly abuse him again in the morning. He needed her body, her legs, her lips, her everything. He need need needed everything from her.

What was he doing?

God, why was he thinking about that right now? He quickly snapped out of his daydream and focused on piping on his flour design on the side of the cake. While he was busy with that Fionna was mixing the other color frosting and stuffing that in the other piper they had been provided with. With a clenched jaw, he did his best to keep his eyes on the lines of red frosting and off of the blond not two feet away from him. It was killing him to be this nonchalant with her, and she was making it a lot more difficult with how defensive she was acting with him. She was too cute when she was mad. It reminded him of when she clawed at his back and demanded him to…

"Dammit," he cursed to himself.

"Are you okay? Did you mess up?" Fionna asked and peeked over his shoulder.

"Um. No, I'm fine," he assured her and continued with his flowers.

"It's very pretty," she murmured and watched his lines.

"Uh, thanks," he said under his breath. It was becoming more and more difficult to breath with her so close to him. She lingered for another moment or two before returning to her frosting. Marshall let out a silent sigh of relief, doing his best to stop the shaking in his fingers. He had to do something about…whatever he was going through and just pretend everything is normal and that he wasn't just thinking intensely about their more intimate moments. He could only image how hard she would hit him if she caught him looking at places he shouldn't.

He bit his lower lip, growing more and more frustrated with himself as he finished up the red flowers and took the green piping bag from Fionna. The thick frosting swirled to his command as his brain was flooded with memories and fantasies. He had to remember not to squeeze the bag too hard or else the whole thing would be ruin. Funny how when you're trying not to think of something it's the one thing that you can't get out of your head. He was mentally cursing himself over and over again until he finished up the last swirl and the timer buzzed underneath the shelter.

"Sponsors! Set your pipers down!" Peggy announced through her megaphone.

Marshall slammed the bag on the counter. Some green frosting oozed out on to the counter, but before anyone could say anything about it Marshall was already half way to the bathrooms across the field. He ignored Fionna's shouts after him and never stopped walking until he got under the cover of the unisex lavatory. He slammed the door behind him and pressed both of his palms in to the sink, refusing to look up to his reflection. Marshall groaned and dug his hands in to his face, wiping a bit of the sweat from under his fringe from the heat.

What was he doing?

His brain was littered with her. She was everywhere he looked, and it was fucking killing him. The fresh air conditioning managed to cool him down, but he was more winded up that ever. She was clawing at him like a cat, meowing for his affections yet hissing at anything his did.

He sighed, and finally looked up in to the mirror. His hair was a mess and his face was slightly flushed. It was probably redder while he was trying to pipe the freaking cake. He could only wonder what Fionna would make of him storming off like that so brash. Hopefully she would think he just really needed to piss or something like that. Marshall cringe at his reflection, unable to help how disgusted he felt with himself for thinking like that. He turned on the cold water and splashed his face a couple times, dried off, and took a deep breath before finally going back to the center. Of course, when he came back, he was greeted by a very angry looking Fionna. She glared at him with her arms crossed and her hip popped out to the side. Her foot tapped impatiently as she stood next to one of the posts of the shelter.

"Where the hell where you? She already judged everyone," she nearly yelled.

"Sorry…I really needed to take a leak," Marshall replied calmly, able to act normally again once he had gotten a hold of himself. She rolled we eyes.

"God, fucking tell me next time so I don't have to wonder where the hell you disappeared to," she snapped. Marshall raised his brow.

"Uh, sorry, but I didn't realize you were my mother," he retorted. That only made her angrier. Angry enough for her to slap his arm.

"Oh shut up! We're teammates now, which means you can't just march off at the end of a challenge without at least saying you'll be right back. I thought you were…like, mad at me or something…" she muttered at the end. Marshall blinked in surprise. She wasn't actually mad at him, she was just…worried.

"Why'd you think I was mad?" He asked. She shrugged and avoided his eye.

"I dunno…you just seemed like something was bothering you, and I have been a bit snappy today," she said. He failed to suppress a laugh, causing Fionna to turn red and flare up at him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that 'snappy' is a bit of an understatement," he smirked down at her and watcher her cheeks get even redder.

"Whatever man, just don't do it again," she grumbled and glared at the floor. He smiled.

"Yeah, okay I won't do that again on one condition," he said. She looked up. "You've gotta stop freaking out whenever I touch you," he told her. Fionna was silent for a few moments before passively nodding and muttering "okay" under her breath.

"Great, uh…who won?" He asked. Fionna looked confused for a moment before remembering the challenge.

"Oh, we did," she told him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think you're the only one here that actually knows how to draw because everyone else's looked like kindergarten masterpieces, except for one guy. His was really neat, but that was just because he runs a bakery," she told him. He chuckled.

"Wow, now that's saying something. I wouldn't be surprised if I was, drawing is hard fucking work," he spoke as he leaned against the post, towering over Fionna and (again) reminding her of just how tall he was.

"Yeah, we got like five points and everyone else got two for actually baking the cake successfully. She took all the cakes for the survivors lunch," she informed him. He nodded.

"Sounds good. I'm glad they aren't just gonna throw them out. That'd be such a waste," he said as he checked his watch.

"Yeah…what do you think the other challenges are gonna be?" She asked. He hummed and folded his arms over his chest as he thought.

"I'm not sure. I'm guess thing the challenges will get progressively harder as we do them, and longer too," he spoke, the sun highlighting the lower half of his face. She nodded in agreement.

"Probably. That's how they usually go."

"Did the girl tell you when the next challenge is?"

"Oh, yeah. She said all the challenges will be about an hour apart," Fionna informed him.

"Got it. I guess we're kinda stuck with each other unless you want to avoid each other like acid during each hour between," he chuckled as if he already knew the answer. Fionna laughed slightly herself, and looked down at the ground while fiddling with the tips of her curls.

"Maybe, I dunno…I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if we talked like normal human beings," she murmured just loud enough for him to hear. He looked over at her and smirked.

"Yeah?"

"…yeah."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: frenimies

His breath was hot against her lips. He warmed her to the very last nerve as he licked them than kissed them hastily. It was like she was the radiant sun and he was the distant moon. This was their eclipse. This was their only chance to touch, and he squeezed every last drop out of his chance. Gravity tugged at her body as he lowered her down on wrinkled sheets and flat pillows. He pulled back to look down at her with those sharp green eyes of his. She stared back. Where was she? What was she doing with him? She needed him. She hated him, yet needed him so much. He ducked back down, running his top lip against her neck and leading to her mouth. With his lips barely brushing hers, he whispered.

"Fionna,"

The blond snapped out of her daydream and looked over at Cake. They were in the middle of making crowns out of the flowers for their customers.

"Yeah?" She replied. Cake rolled her eyes and tapped the side of her head.

"Earth, to Fi! Get your head outta the clouds!" She yelled. Fionna rolled her eyes and looked back at the crown she was working on.

"I'm not in the clouds, I was just thinking," Fionna told her calmly. Cake cocked a brow.

"About what?" She asked. Fionna hesitated and bit her lip. A light pink started to dust itself across her cheeks.

"Uh…nothing," she answered shortly.

"Nothing?" Cake questioned.

"That's right, nothing." Fi repeated.

"Fi you can't think about nothing," she sassed. Fionna rolled her eyes and told her to drop the subject, but Cake only persisted more.

"We're you thinking about Marshalllllllllllll?" She asked with a malicious smile. The blond glared up at her and blushed furiously.

"N-no, why would I be thinking about him?" She grumbled.

"Well…he's tall, and he's handsome, and he can be sweet when he wants, and…" Cake paused, and looked as if she was trying to remember something. "Oh, what was that last thing? Oh yeah! He's been starring at you this entire time."

"What!" Fionna looked over at the booth next to them and saw Marshall painting a little girls face. She frowned and looked back at Cake.

"Liar," she accused and slapped her shoulder lightly.

"Nu-uh, he has," she insisted.

"No, he's been painting faces," she pointed out. Cake sighed.

"Girl he's been side eyeing you this whole time. Every five seconds he's glancing over, and when he washes out his brushes he's looking you up and down like a gourmet dinner."

"No way…"

"Yes way! Just watch," she insisted.

Fionna sighed and decided to watch for him to look over as he painted the little girls face. She couldn't quite make out what he was painting, but it was something bright and colorful. Probably a butterfly or hearts or something, yet he still looked focused as if each stroke of his brush was vital. Instead of waiting for what Cake had claimed, she found herself watching him work. It intrigued her how gentle he held his brush, and how lightly he rested his pinky on the girls chin. He was soft, and she had troubles remembering if he had ever looked so serene. As soon as he pulled his brush away and cleaned it off Fionna blinked and looked over to Cake again.

"Did you see him?" She asked.

"Uh, no I got distracted." She mumbled and looked down at the flowers in her hands.

"C'mon! He looked at least five times while you were looking over there," she groaned. Fionna blushed.

"Sorry, I just got sucked in to watching him paint," Fionna confessed. Cake chuckled.

"Try again," she smiled. Fionna glanced up and instantly snagged her gaze on his. She quickly looked back down and her cheeks turned to the color of the roses in her hands. Cake laughed, of course. Fionna had no idea why she felt so…embarrassed.

"Took you long enough," she snickered. Fionna frowned and slapped her arm again before looking over one more time to catch the smirk on his face as he finished up. Great, now he thinks she's madly in love with him or something. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"Whatever, you got a hair tie?" She asked.

"You know what, I do. You know I normally don't because my hair is too thick for that shit, but I was thinking of you and bought some this morning," Cake said and pulled a pack out of her pocket.

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"Specifically, you owe me 3 and half," she said with a smirk as Fi took the pack and took one out.

"Really? Man, these are getting expensive," she mumbled as she started to gather up her hair in a high pony.

"Inflation, dude. It's a thing," Cake pointed out.

"Ugh, don't remind me. The company I buy my daffodils from raised it five cents more a bud, can you believe that? It's already the cheapest company I know and they're starting to catch up to the normal prices. I'm gonna have to start charging more…" she rambled in disgruntle.

"People come by your shoppe for more than flowers, so I wouldn't worry about raising the price ten cents," she assured the stressed blond.

"What else do they come for then?"

"Girl don't play dumb. You're super nice and make everyone feel good about themselves," Cake sassed. Fionna smiled a little and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not super nice. I'm just decent, and there's not a lot of decent people out there so it's…new to people," she told her and continued weaving flowers together. Cake chuckled and set her flowers down.

"Whateves, girl. I'ma head down to the little girls room and take care of some business. See ya," she announced before standing up and walking off in the direction of the bathrooms at the opposite end. The blond watched and smiled as her fiend left. She walked across the grassy field, noticing a few people on her way and making Fionna shake her head slightly before resuming her focus on her flowers.

"Wow, she is definitely out there," spoke a familiar voice. Fionna jumped slightly, fumbling her fingers with the stems as she looked up at Marshall leaning against the post of her cover.

"Oh…" she looked to where he was watching and giggled. Cake was full on flirting with some stranger on her way to the bathroom. "Yeah, she's a bit…people crazy," she agreed.

"People crazy?" He questioned, squinting to see the black beauty better.

"Yeah. I'd say boy crazy or girl crazy, but she really hits on anyone," Fionna explained. He chuckled.

"I can see. I honestly can't tell that persons gender," he said when he finally looked down at Fionna. She was still observing her friend, but shortly realized he was starring.

"Y-yeah, I guess some people are like that," she stuttered slightly, and blushed a soft pink. He nodded and noticed the flowers in her lap and around the grass.

"Pretty," he said simply. Fionna blinked up at him and blushed deeper.

"Huh?"

"Your flowers. They're pretty," he reiterated.

"O-oh, they're just fabric. If I was to make one of these with real flowers I'd have to wear gloves and keep them cool and stuff like that," she told him.

"Yeah? That sounds interesting," he crouched down next to her and picked up one of the finished crowns.

"It's not good to touch petals with your bare hands, the oils on our skin can cause it to wilt and die prematurely," she explained.

"Hm, I didn't know that," he said as he looked up from the fake petals and smiled at her. Fionna felt too nervous to smile back, so instead she looked away and busied herself with her flowers.

"P-people don't know a lot about flowers. All they care about is how beautiful they are, so it's my job to know this stuff and provide the flowers." She felt her heart pound in her chest and his eyes burn in to the side of her face. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was starring at her mouth. He chuckled.

"Wow you really like flowers, don't you?" He asked.

"Yes, I do."

"I don't blame you…they're gorgeous-"

"Oh, I don't like them because they're beautiful," she interrupted and finally kept a steady gaze on his.

"You don't?"

"Not really."

"Then…why do you like them?" He questioned.

"Well, despite them being able to die and wilt, they last forever," she said simply. Marshall frowned and furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"Think about it. Flowers have been around for millennia, and much longer than humans if you follow the theory of evolution. You can see them in countless works of historical art, and are the most famous symbol of romance. Once you add flowers to something, it's instantly romanticized. A simple white rose on a coffin suggests the person who died is just as loved in death as they were in life. They instantly turn something ugly into something delicate and beautiful, and an experience like that lasts for ages. There's a reason people like to receive flowers as a gift, it's because it makes them feel special and beautiful and that memory will last them forever. Of course flowers die, everything dies. If people don't what things to die they should lock themselves up in a stone cellar or something. It's the fact that they'll wilt two weeks later that makes them…so special," she finished with a sigh as she smiled down at the fake flowers. Marshall blinked.

"That's a pretty good reason to like flowers. You're really poetic," he noticed. Fionna laughed a little and shook her head.

"No, I'm just obsessed with flowers," she giggled.

"I can tell-"

"Marshall! Fionna!" Shouted a shrill voice. They looked up to see Peggy waddling over while fanning herself with her clipboard. "The next challenge is in a half an hour, you guys should start heading down there," she panted.

"Oh, okay," Fionna said and stood up with Marshall.

"What's the challenge this time?" Marshall asked. Peggy took a moment to catch her breath and wipe the sweat from her forehead. In her defense, it was a very hot day, but she was really out of shape.

"Uh, you're gonna have to go down there because I forgot."

"Um, okay. Gotcha. We'll see you down there," Fionna replied and patted her shoulder, instantly pulling back and wiping the sweat on her grey tee-shirt. Peggy nodded and continued walking around the track to the other teams.

"That's kinda irresponsible to forget what the challenge was," Marshall muttered.

"Oh give her a break, there's a million things she needs to worry about and your attitude is not one of them!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: handy man

Soft lips. Full hips. Her kiss drove him crazy. He couldn't have her, but he wanted her so badly. It was impossible not to get misty-eyed when he thought about that night or her in general. For some reason he was over driven with lust, more than usual which was starting to freak him out. But Fionna was starting to act like a normal human being around him, so he could only convince himself that he was the one going insane. She looked so calm as she talked about her pet cats and they waited for Peggy to announce the challenge. He tried to focus on her words but her lips always took the spotlight. He wanted to kiss her again, and feel her warm body pressed up against him. It was all he could think about, and he knew he had to cut it out.

"Ah-hem!" Peggy cleared her throat at the end of the hall. Finally, a distraction. "Good afternoon sponsors, welcome to your second challenge!" She announced. The sponsors gave a short round of applause as she grinned.

"Okay then, I bet you're all so excited to hear what this challenge is about, right?" A few sponsors cheered while the rest simply said yes or nodded their head.

"Great! Now, at your table with your number on it you'll find a blindfold and a twelve piece foam puzzle. What is going to happen is one partner is going to wear the blind fold and the other is going to hold their hands behind their back. The blinded partner is going to be the others hands, and they have to help them solve the puzzle without using their own hands. The first one to solve the puzzle and ring their bell wins." Peggy explained and looked excited. Much more excited than anyone else. "Any questions?"

"Which one has to be blind folded?" Someone asked.

"It's your choice, but if you have difficulties choosing go with the taller one," she answered. "Is that it?"

"This sounds like a nightmare," Fionna muttered to herself. Marshall chuckled quietly in agreement.

"Great! Now get to your tables and in position!" Peggy cheered. They did as they were told with a few grumbles and a few groans.

"Which one do you wanna be?" Fionna asked as they approached their table.

"Uh, well I'm taller and she said that taller people should be blindfolded," he replied picking up the black strip of cloth.

"Okay, so you do that and I'll help you solve the puzzle verbally," she said. He nodded.

"Sponsors please put on your blindfolds," Peggy announced through a megaphone. Marshall did so and waited.

"Now, partner without the blindfold stand in front of your table," she ordered. Fionna followed the instructions.

"Okay, partner with the blindfold stand behind partner A and put your arms through theirs so your arms are reached in front of them," she instructed.

"What?" Marshall was confused. That meant he'd have to be pressed up against her…oh dear.

"Ugh. C'mon, marshall, like this," Fionna grabbed his arms and tugged him closer so his chest was pressed against her back and his arms were through the holes hers created when they were behind her back.

"Uh, a-are you sure this is what it's supposed to be like?" He asked, feeling very nervous from his lack of sight and lack of space.

"Yeah, it's how everyone else is doing it. Calm down, okay? It's not anything too difficult," she sassed.

"Okay…" he mumbled. It took him a few deep breaths before he managed to calm his nerves. Once he was calm he couldn't convince himself to stop breathing deeply. He kept smelling something sweet…like honey, and vanilla, and flowers…

"Are you wearing perfume?" He asked her. Fionna blushed.

"Are you smelling me?" She hissed.

"No, I'm breathing. Do you want to arrest me for breathing?" He snarked. She rolled her eyes.

"I wear a vanilla body spray. My mom usually buys me a bottle every year and it takes about a year to get rid of it, so yeah," she explained.

"Hmm, just vanilla?"

"Yes."

"I smell a bit of honey mixed in there. Also a lot of floral scents, but I can guess where that came from," he smirked.

"Honey? I always have honey in my tea in the mornings, but I dunno if it's strong enough to linger on me," she said looking down at the puzzle pieces. They were big and green and had no pattern on it to help them.

"Wow, you're hot," Marshall said. Fionna's face turned red and she stomped back on his foot.

"Ow!"

"What did you say to me?" She growled.

"Geez, I said you're hot, like temperature! Are you crazy?" He snapped. Fionna blushed in embarrassment. Of course he wasn't hitting on her right now, she was being loony.

"…s-sorry," she stuttered.

"Besides, if I was gonna hit on you it wouldn't be anywhere near that basic," he said. She could hear the smile in his voice and turned Crimson.

"No, you wouldn't. Because you won't hit on me," she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Mmm, you sound angry. Or are you just flustered?" He questioned. It was hard to keep his distance from her. He wanted to whisper in her ear and wrap his arms around her.

"Okay, sponsors! Get ready to start in 3…2…1!" Peggy shouted.

"Huh?"

"Get the pieces! They're to your right!" Fionna told him.

"Oh, right," he reached to his right and felt soft foam met his fingers. He quickly grabbed it and felt the edges.

"It's a corner piece put it near your bottom left."

"Got it." He did as she ordered and reached for another.

"It's a middle piece, look for the edges first!"

"Okay, Geez." He put it down and felt the pieces for a sharp edge.

He dug up ten pieces with edges and arranged the corner pieces in their correct places with Fionna's help. From that point on it was a lot of her shouting angrily when he picked the wrong piece and fumbling the foam prices until the locked together. Fionna continued to bark out directions, and scolded him whenever he fucked up. He couldn't help but smile as she did so. She was so bossy, and demanding, yet he only felt himself like her more with every command. She was so submissive that night, it doesn't seem like she's the same girl in front of him. Maybe it was because she was drunk, or because it was a one night stand. Or maybe she hadn't done it in a long time and she just needed to get used to it again. Or maybe-

"Marshall! Pay attention and put that piece back!" Fionna shouted.

Oh, right." He did as he was told and pushed in the last piece of the puzzle.

"Yes! Yes! Now ring the bell! It's to your right!" She yelled. Marshall grinned and reached for the bell to ring it. He had to press his body in to hers to reach it. Fionna was sandwiched between Marshall and the counter as the bell was rung obnoxiously until they heard Peggy over the megaphone.

"Fionna and Marshall win!" She announced. Marshall relaxed against Fionna's back and pulled his arms out of hers.

"God, that was difficult," she panted.

"Yeah," he agreed reaching back to untie his blindfold. He must've tied it really tight because the knot was virtually impossible to loosen.

"Having troubles?" Fionna asked.

"Uh, a little bit," he admitted.

"Turn around and let me see," she ordered.

"I dunno, can you reach?" He teased. Fionna rolled her eyes and turned him around to get to the knot.

"You dumbass, it's not like I'm five feet tall," she said and dug her nails in to the tight knot.

"Yeah only like five two, right?" He joked.

"Five foot five," she muttered. Marshall laughed.

"Nu-uh, you're five four at the most. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying," she insisted as she released the knot from the fabric.

"Oh geez! That's bright." Marshall blinked at the bright flash that returned him to real life. Most of the other sponsors were looking at them. One of the sponsors, a jeweler, winked at him with a flirty smirk. He turned away to continue talking with Fionna.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. Fionna smiled back shyly, and could barely manage to look at him for a few seconds. Why did she feel so nervous? "And you did a good job durning the challenge. I can't follow directions for shit, so thanks for barking at me," he teased. She giggled.

"No problem," she replied. He opened his arms and reached for a hug but stopped himself halfway when he remembered how she felt about touching.

"Er, sorry."

"No, it's oka-"

"Here," he held out his hand for her to shake instead. Fionna looked down at his hand before accepting his offer and smiling as she shook his hand.

"Good job."

"Yeah…good job."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: oh shit

"Cake!" Fionna called as she approached her site, but it didn't matter how loud she called. Cake was snoring on one of their lawn chairs, her body splayed out like she just dropped there and slept. Drool was trickling down her cheek, and her mouth was wide open. Fionna shook her head and shook her chair to wake her.

"Cake!"

"Wah?! What's going on?!" She snapped awake instantly.

"Cake, I'm freaking out right now," Fionna said.

"Huh, girl what happened?" Cake asked with concern.

"I…I dunno! It just happened and I'm going crazy now!" Fionna cried, her face petrified with shock.

"What happened? Just spit it out!" Cake demanded. Fionna opened her mouth to speak, but promptly turned red and closed it.

"No! I can't, I'm too embarrassed," she squeaked as she covered her face in her hands. Cake frowned and crossed her arms.

"Fionna, is anyone hurt?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"No, of course no one is hurt!"

"Then why are you freaking out?" She demanded to know.

"I…I'm too embarrassed. I barely even admitted it to myself," she stammered.

"Dude, just tell me. I won't laugh or anything," she promised. Fionna sighed and uncovered her red face to look up at her.

"I…" she paused. "I may or may not have some…certain emotions for a certain person." Cake blinked and furrowed her brows.

"What? I don't get it," she said. Fionna groaned and looked up at the tent and took a deep breath.

"I kinda like…" she mumbled the rest under her breath, too quiet for Cake to hear. Cake rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair.

"C'mon girl, stop beating around the bush and just tell me," she urged. Fionna took another deep breath before squeezing her eyes shut as she spoke.

"I like Marshall!" She admitted. Cakes jaw dropped.

"What did you say?" She questioned jumping forward in her chair.

"I-I said I like Marshall," she repeated. Cake grinned.

"Girl, I already knew that, but I was not expecting you to admit it any time soon!" She squealed and threw her arms around Fionna.

"Oof! Cake!" The blond whined as she nearly squeezed the life out of her.

"Mmm, girl! When did ya find out? When did you tell him? Oh, tell me everything!" Cake ordered while trapping her tighter in her grip.

"Cake! Let me go!" Fi choked.

"Oops!" Cake loosened her arms and let Fionna go with a sheepish giggle. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"But seriously, you have to tell me everything! When did you finally admit it to yourself?"

"Well…I dunno it was weird. We were just talking and I just kinda…liked talking to him. I-I liked it when he was being obnoxious, and I didn't find him irritating, and…"

Fionna trailed off, too humiliated to continue her sentence. He had been so close to her, she couldn't stop thinking about that night. That one mistake he said he wouldn't mind making again. Does he still feel that way? Or was it just a one time thing that lead in to the morning? And did he feel the same when he was so close to her? Did her scent drive him just as mad as the feeling of his body pressed against hers? She could still feel the callouses on his hands explore her body, and press in to her palm not five minutes ago. This was too much…

"Fionna? What else?" Cake asked frantically shaking her shoulders.

"Huh?"

"And…what else?" She reiterated.

"Oh, and…a-and his v-voice. It didn't drive me insane when he talked. I kinda…just wanted him to continue talking forever," Fionna admitted, her face turning more pink than red and a smile starting to spread on her lips. His voice…it was so curt yet smooth. Everything that came out of his mouth usually made her cringe, but now it made her happy. The way his words worked together made her want to talk to him all day.

"Awh, you really like him," Cake grinned. Fionna blinked out of her day dream and frowned.

"Cake, don't patronize me," she sassed. Cake laughed.

"Sorry. Sorry. It's just I haven't seen you crush on anyone for a long long time," she said.

"Gah! It's not a crush! That makes it sound so fucking elementary school. I just…like him. That's all."

"Mm-hm, and how does it feel?" Cake questioned.

"Terrible," Fionna grumbled and placed her head on Cakes lap. She laughed again.

"Oh yeah, you don't like liking people. I forgot," she chuckled.

"Whatever, Cake."

"So when you gonna tell him?" Cake asked. Fionna whipped her head back up from Cakes lap and shook her head vigorously.

"No. No. Noooo, I am not telling him about this. And neither are you, okay?"

"What? Why not?"

"Because then he'd know!"

"But, that's the point, Fi."

"I don't want him to know!"

"Well then how are you two gonna get together?" Cake challenged putting her hands on her hips.

"We're not! Simple as that!" Fionna answered. Cake tsked and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right, I bet by the end of this whole 24 hour thing you two are gonna end up doing something. I'll probably find you fuckin' in the bathroom or something," she said. Fionna turned beat red.

"C-Cake! That is not gonna happen!" Fionna insisted.

"Whatever, don't try an' fool me. I remember that night walking back from the bathroom to find him sucking on your mouth like a popsicle," she snarked. Fionna gaped at her description.

"H-he wasn't-"

"GIRL! Are you blind? He is so fucking in to you! You pretty much have him wrapped around your finger."

"I-I doubt that…I mean, I doubt he thought much of it in the first place. He was tipsy, so he wasn't thinking clearly and neither was I," Fionna argued timidly. Cake chuckled.

"He barely touched his second beer. I only saw him take like two sips, and he wasn't even finished with his first when I ordered the second round. That boy just used it as a decoy so you'd think he was too out of it to realize it," Cake informed her. Fionna nervously played with the tips of her pony tail, twirling her golden strands around her finger and letting them unravel. She doubted it. He did smell strongly of alcohol, and she faintly recalled him bringing back more beer after they had their fun.

"Still…I don't think we should be a thing," she persisted.

"What? Why?"

"Well, just think about it. We don't go together. We're like polar opposites. He's too crazy, and obsessive, and loud. I doubt we would go good together, I mean look at me! I'm just a plain Jane and he's a hard core punker with a tattoo parlor. It's like oil and water, or ketchup and blue berries," she explained.

"I see what you're saying, but you're forgetting that opposites do attract. If you were both plain everything would be boring. If you were both adrenalin junkies you'd be dead. So what if oil and water don't mix? You can still use both to make a cake, and who's to say blueberries couldn't use a little tang? You gotta get out there girl! You've been plain and Jane long enough," she urged and jolted her shoulders.

"Cake!" Fionna whined. Cake once again rolled her eyes and spotted Marshall making his way to his own site.

"Speak of the devil," she muttered to herself.

"Huh?"

"Fionna, why don't you just hang out with him during this whole 24 hour thing and see how it is. Test the waters a bit, and if by the end of the day you're still doubting it you don't have to," she offered.

"I…guess that wouldn't be the end of the world, just a day with him," she murmured.

"Great, he's like right here so go," she said quickly.

"Wha-? Ah!" Fionna was shoved over by Cake before she could even get the word out. She ended up doing a backwards summersault in to the poll of their open tent, and falling over in to the space between hers and Marshall's site.

"Oof!" She groaned as she tried to make sense of the position her body was in. All she knew was that she was on her back, but her foot was stuck on the poll and her ass was in the air. Oh great…

"Uh, Fionna?" She opened her eyes and wasn't surprised to see Marshall standing in front of her. She signed.

"Hey," she greeted.

"You need some help?" He asked.

"Nope. I'm perfectly fine," she grunted as she untangled herself and stood up.

"Did Cake just shove you over here?" He questioned looking over at her.

"Um, kinda. She just sorta pushed me," Fionna explained and shot a glare back at her best friend. Cake grinned in response and Fionna rolled her eyes before turning back to him.

"I see…is there a reason she pushed you?"

"Um…" Fionna hesitated, and then spoke. "Not really. She kinda just did."

"Well then, that doesn't sound pleasant," he said with a smirk. Fionna wanted to punch herself because that smirk made her want to jump him right then and there.

"It really wasn't," she agreed and rubbed some dirt from her shin. Marshall smiled as he watched her brush the dirt from her pale skin. She looked so much lighter compared to him.

"Wow, you must wear a shit ton of sunscreen all the time," he said as she rubbed more dirt from her knee. She looked up at him.

"Yeah. My skin burns, never tans," she told him. "What about you? Always spending your time in the sun?" She asked noticing how tan he was next to her.

"Oh, no. I'm actually the palest in my family," he replied.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…I'm half Mexican, and like everyone is either born tan or tans super easy. So I kinda stick out on my dad's side," he explained.

"Oh, wow. I never would've guessed you're Hispanic," she said as she finished scrapping of the dirt.

"Yeah, but at least I'm not as pale as you," he teased with a grin. She tried to frown, but only ended up trying to suppress a grin with her arms crossed.

"Whatever man, sorry that I'm allergic to the sun," she responded playfully. He laughed.

"Well if you're so allergic to it, get out of it," he said tugging on her arm and leading her under his tent. She giggled and sought shelter from the deathly rays with him.

"Is that why you were so warm during the challenge?" He asked. "You were seriously burning up."

"Y-yeah, that and just competition gets my heart pumping," she answered as he turned to his paint station.

"I feel you. That and your annoying micro-managing really got my blood pumping," he snarked and smiled at her.

"Oh please, without it we wouldn't have won," she reminded him. Marshall was silent for a few moments, getting lost in running his damp brushes over his fingertips. He bit his lip still smiling slightly and unable to stop.

"Marshall?"

He quickly snapped out of whatever he was in and looked over to see her standing closer to him and looking up at him.

"Uh…yeah, you're right," he stammered. She looked up at him for another moment before looking down at his paints and brushes. He watched as her eyes scanned the melted cakes and messy mixing pallet. Her gaze hovered over the jar of misty water, and lingered over the rich colors that were untainted by mismatched hues.

"Would you like one?" He asked. She looked up at him quickly, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Huh?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: talking like normal people…ish

"Not my face though," she told him again.

"I got that the first five times," he replied, smiling at her gently with a raised brow.

"I'm just making sure you know. I have sensitive skin, and I can barely find a foundation that doesn't break me out," she sassed.

"Baby, you don't need any," he charmed, hitting her with his most flirtatious smile and biting his lip out of habit. Fionna blushed bright red and slapped his shoulder.

"No flirting with me! That's seriously unfair," she hissed. Marshall laughed.

"What's so unfair about it?" He questioned dipping a wide brush in to a nice red color.

"B-because I can't…" again, Fionna was mumbling.

"I can't understand you when you barely move your lips."

"Because I can't flirt back," she said a little louder with her cheeks a little redder. Marshall turned pink himself.

"You can't flirt? Why not?"

"I don't know how to," she murmured shyly as he pressed the paint soaked brush to her arm.

"I see, you're one of those people who never learned how to do that stuff."

"Well, I never needed to know how. In high school guys kinda just flocked around me so I really just had to pick and choose. I dated this one guy in my senior year and it continued until like my junior year in college. I've been single ever since," she explained.

"Hmm, makes sense. High school guys are pathetic. Trust me, I was one and it was sad," he said as he added more to her arm. Fionna giggled.

"Oh yeah? How sad?"

"Very," he replied while cleaning his brush and picking up a new color. "This one time, I asked out a girl and she said no. So I tried asking out another girl who was not as hot to make her jealous, but she turned me down too. Then, the first girls boyfriend beat me up for harassing everyone."

"You asked out a girl who already had a boyfriend?" Fionna questioned holding back her laughter.

"I didn't know at the time. He went to a different school and it wasn't like I was stalking her," he defended.

"Wow, Marshall, you're so smooth," she giggled sarcastically.

"I know I am, baby, you don't have to tell me," he said a little quietly and looked up at her. Fionna brushed off his flirting with some nervous laughter and looking down at the grassy ground. Marshall couldn't help but grin at how red her cheeks were. She flushed like a rose, and her eyes sparkled like morning dew on a blue bell. He tried to work between glances, but if he was any more distracted he would've painted her portrait. So he forced himself to focus on her arm and the paint on his brush.

"What are you painting anyways?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"It's a surprise," he said and stuck his brush between his teeth to hold it as he reached for a different one.

"I hate surprises. Just tell me," she urged. He looked up to her for a moment and shook his head, trying and failing to hold back his smile.

"No way, bossy pants. You might've been able to bark orders at me during the challenge, but now I can do whatever I want." His voice was slightly muffled by the brush, but he was still understandable.

"That's why I don't like surprises. You could be painting anything on me right now," she pointed out.

"What do you think I'm painting? A dick?" He questioned pulling the smaller brush from his mouth.

"Could be. I dunno what you're doing," she said stubbornly.

"Oh, c'mon. I'm not a high schooler, don't you trust me?"

"Not in a million years."

"Do you really think I would draw a dick on you?"

"There's a chance you are."

"And there's also a chance that you're pulling my leg and didn't even think that in the first place," he suggested and cleaned his brush again. He set down the larger one and let the smaller one sit in the jar before picking out a thinner smaller brush.

"I'm not pulling anything on you," she said without thinking. He looked up at her in surprise at the words that had left her mouth. It took her a few moments before she caught on and blushed furiously.

"U-uh, I-I didn't mean it l-like that! I was j-just…I mean…!" She signed and slapped a palm over her forehead. "Don't listen to me, I have no clue what I'm saying," she whimpered. Marshall laughed and pulled her hand from her head.

"Don't sweat it. That's probably the strangest way someone told me they're not gonna give me a hand job, but it's not the first time," he assured her.

"I-I didn't mean that! I wasn't trying to say anything about…" Fionna hesitated and then whispered, "…hand jobs."

"Sure you weren't," he chortled and then continued painting.

"I swear! Unlike you, I'm not some kinda uncivilized perv who only thinks about sex," she snarked. He chuckled and placed his hand under the paint on her arm, his callouses tickling her skin and sending electric currents down her back.

"Oh, but life is so much more fun when you have a dirty mind," he purred and leaned closer. Fionna's heart was about to beat out of her chest. His stupid smile was getting closer and closer to her until she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. Her toes curled under themselves in the healthy grass, and her body became tense in the metal chair she sat in. She could feel herself unconsciously holding her breath as he chuckled once more and then pulled back.

"Calm down, buttercup, you look like you're gonna have a heart attack," he said abruptly. She blinked.

"Huh?"

"I wasn't really gonna kiss you, so you can save the smacking for later," he told her as he cleaned up his brushes and started putting them away.

"O-oh…"

"I'm finished now, and I'll just tell you now that I did not draw a dick on your arm," he announced. Fionna looked down at her arm and saw what looked like red and yellow blobs on her arm.

"Well I wouldn't know because I can't exactly see it," she sassed. Marshall rolled his eyes and pulled up a hand mirror from his table for her to see. Her eyes caught the illustration through the reflection and froze. There, perfectly placed on her arm, was a magnificent cluster of ruby red poppies in a patch of grass painted on her skin. She gaped at the reflection as he eyes traced the tiny details and curved with the petals of the flowers. He did that in such a short amount of time…it was almost unbelievable. It left her speechless, and dumbfounded. The only words she could manage to find were…

"What the fuck?" She blurted harshly. Marshall furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Um…do you not like it?" He asked. She looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you kidding? Of course I like it."

"Well, when people say 'what the fuck' it's usually a bad thing," he replied.

"Sorry, it's just…Jesus Christ it looks so pretty and perfect. Did you seriously just do that?"

"Uh, yeah. What did you think I was doing? Drawing five white circles with yellow one in the middle?" He questioned.

"Uh, yeah. That's what people expect when they're getting body paint at events like these. The only place I'd expect this from is fucking Disney land." She went back to staring at it through the mirror and was tempted to run her fingers over it. Marshall laughed, flattered by her blunt compliment and blushing slightly.

"I thought about working there, but there's too many kids."

"You qualify?" She asked.

"Yeah, but they were asking me to work there," he responded setting down the mirror.

"Wow, that's big. Is this all you do or is there more miraculous talents to you?" She asked and leaned her face on her palm. He shrugged.

"I like to dabble a bit with music. Guitar and vocals mostly."

"Oh yeah, I thought I saw guitars in your…" Fionna trailed off. It was a mixture of awkwardness and fear that stopped her from speaking. Oh shit. She basically just invited him to talk about that night. "…y-your…um."

"My…room?" He questioned. Her cheeks turned pink again and she looked away. Marshall sighed.

"We gotta stop this," he said. Fionna's eyes returned to his.

"Stop what?"

"This…whole 'pretending like it never happened' shit. It's making things kinda awkward," he told her.

"I-it works for me," she stuttered.

"It obviously doesn't. You couldn't even say you were in my room," he pointed out.

"Well excuse me for forgetting and not wanting to talk about it," she said harshly.

"C'mon, Fionna, we gotta talk about it sooner or later. It was just a one time thing, and we were drunk and we were being stupid."

"So you regret it?" She asked. Marshall was caught by surprise.

"W-what?"

"That night. You're saying we were being stupid. Do you regret doing something so stupid?" She reiterated.

"I…I can't say I regret it," he stammered with a nervous laugh. "I mean, it's sex for Christ's sake. It's kind of…I mean, i-it was good if that's what you're asking."

"I wasn't asking that!" She squeaked with discomfort.

"Okay, okay! Sorry, just stay calm," he hushed and placed a hand on her arm.

"I was just asking if you regret it, not if you liked it," she muttered.

"Do you regret it?" He asked. She looked him in the eyes and hesitated.

"A little bit. I'm not a fan of one night stands," she answered.

"Yeah, I don't blame you." Fionna nodded and they sat in silence for a few moments. Marshall's hand was still on her arm, his skin gliding perfectly over hers as he drew patterns in her forearm.

"If you don't mind me asking…did you like it?" He inquired. She blushed.

"Um…do you want me to be honest?"

"Awh, was I that bad?"

"No! I-I mean…you did all the right things, and it felt really g-good. It's just there wasn't a real spark between us," she explained.

"You make it sound like we're in the princess diaries," he chuckled. Fionna rolled her eyes and smacked his arm lightly with her free one.

"Whatever dude, that's what Cake said."

"Cake? You told her?" He questioned with a smirk.

"More like she forced me to tell her, but yeah…sorry."

"I don't mind," he smiled. She looked at him skeptically.

"Okay then…"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: fake it till you make it

"Marshall? Fionna? Oh good! You two are together!" A plump, short girl with short hair walked over to the two of them and smiled.

"Uh, hey," Marshall greeted.

"Hi, I'm Casey, Peggy's daughter," she introduced with an out stretched hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," Fionna smiled and took her hand. They shook, and then Marshall shook her hand as well.

"And you. I'm sure you can guess why I've come all this way to meet you two," she said with a big grin.

"New challenge?" Marshall asked.

"Yup! Go ahead and start walking down to the center, Peggy will explain the next challenge in about ten minutes when everybody is there," she told them.

"Okie dokie, we're on it. Thanks for telling us," Fionna chirped.

"No problem, I'll see you there!" She waved as she started walking off to inform the other sponsors.

"You go ahead, I'm gonna use the bathroom really quickly," Fionna said and walked over to her camp to slip on her flip flops.

"Okay, I'll see you then," Marshall replied, trying his hardest not to stare as she bent over to get the grass out of the toes. He failed.

"See ya!" She hollered as she ran off to the unisex bathrooms.

He watched her bounce off for a few moments before shaking out of it and making his way to the center. It was strange not being around her. He's only had a few conversations with her over the course of the day, but damn had they been interesting. Interesting enough to miss her five seconds after she left. Marshall frowned. He was thinking like some kinda middle schooler with a hopeless crush on the popular girl. Over glorifying her and everything she did…or maybe she really was just that fucking great. He doubted it, it was his perception of her. Everything she did was cute, and everything about her made him want to melt in to her again. He hoped she liked him a little bit now, and started to regret teasing her by getting so close. He could feel her tense up and hold her breath, and see all the freckles starting to pop out of her faire skin from the sun. She was too temping to him…he needed to control himself better.

When he arrived at the center only four other teams were already there. He couldn't remember the exact number of teams, but he thought it was somewhere around ten or twelve. All he knew for certain was each group consisted of two members and one was female and the other male. It seemed a bit of an old fashion way to organize teams, but there was nothing he could really do about it. Marshall decided it didn't matter and leaned against his team numbered table. He pulled out his phone to check the time and noticed the countless calls he missed during the past five hours or so. Instead of calling back, he decided to power it down and leave it in his pocket until further notice.

Hopefully Fionna won't take too long, he was really starting to feel an urge to talk to her again. He wanted to know the basic shit about her. Like her favorite color, what music she likes, how many siblings she has. Stuff like that. He could feel the tug in his bones to find her and ask her these things, but before he could get his ass off the table someone had already gotten to him.

"Hey there," greeted a dark, curvy woman with a cherry red smile. She was the jeweler from the last challenge. Marshall was just looking up as she spoke to him, his mind still stuck in his thoughts before he stuttered out a hello.

"How's it going, hot stuff? You waiting for your partner?" She asked and popped her hip out to the side, resting her hand on it as she waited his response.

"Uh…yeah, she had to go the restroom," he replied noticing the beads that adorned her wrists and neck.

"That's a good idea, smart girl. What's your name again? Marshall?"

"Yeah, Marshall Lee Abadeer," he said.

"Pleasure to meet you! I'm Patrice Max, but everyone calls me Pat," she introduced herself and held out her hand. Marshall looked down at her outstretched hand and accepted it.

"Now, I'm sure someone like you probably already has a little darling of your own, but I tend to be a bit more optimistic. You doing anything after the challenge?"

"Um…e-excuse me?" Marshall stammered. She chortled and grinned.

"C'mon, honey. Don't tell me you've never been hit on before," she said seductively while taking a step forward. Marshall felt his hands get clammy as he tried to squish himself in to the counter.

"I don't think I have," he muttered bitterly.

"Well, baby. If you're not doing anything after this, you could always do me in the bathrooms if you'd like," she whispered and winked. He sighed.

"Look, you're a very beautiful woman, and I'm sure you have a great personality, but I'm just not interested," he told her. She took a step closer and pouted, twisting a lock of her curly dark hair in her slim fingers as she tilted her head.

"What do you mean? You said so yourself I'm beautiful. Don't worry, it'll be a no strings attached kinda thing, I won't drag," she assured him.

"Just because I think your pretty doesn't mean I wanna…I don't want to…" he got redder each time he tried to finish his sentence, but he felt…strangely dirty. This wasn't making sense, not too long ago he was telling Fionna how much fun it was to have a dirty mind and now…

"Gosh, so sorry for taking so long, babe. The line was unbelievably long, it was like everyone all of the sudden had to take a piss!" Marshall looked down at the source of the familiar voice and was greeted with a quick peck on the lips along with slim fingers intertwining with his. He blinked down at Fionna as she winked up at him and looked over at Patrice.

"Oh, who's this?" She asked curiously.

"Uh, this is Patrice. She's another team member," he introduced.

"Nice to meet you. The sponsors don't really talk to each other much, do we," she grinned and held her hand for her to shake. Patrice looked from her dainty hand up to her and then over to Marshall. Hesitantly, she accepted the blonds hand and shook.

"I love your bracelets, where did you get them?" She asked.

"Thanks, I made them," Pat replied curtly.

"That's neat. I don't normally wear bracelets, but I always thought they were really pretty."

"Who are you?" Patrice inquired harshly.

"Oh! Excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Fionna," she told her.

"Uh-huh, and how do you know Marshall?" She asked.

"I'm his girlfriend," she announced. She squeezed his hand affectionally in hers and Marshall blushed. Pat raised a skeptical brow and looked at Fionna and then Marshall.

"Is this true?"

"Yeah, of course it is," Marshall answered without hesitation. He let go of her hand and snaked his arm around her waist to pull her closer. Patrice looked at the two of them for a few moments and crossed her arms. She said nothing and then chuckled.

"Is there something funny?" Fionna asked. Pat smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, no. It's just I didn't really think you two were the kind to swap spit with each other," she said rather bluntly. Fionna giggled as well, obviously not picking up her sarcasm.

"Yeah, we are a bit of an odd couple. But we've swapped a lot more than just spit, if you know what I mean," she joked and patted Marshall on the back. He laughed as well, trying to ignore the images her words had put in his head. Patrice chuckled again and smiled slightly.

"Well it was nice meeting you two. Good luck on the challenges," she said before turning to walk away.

"Thanks, you too!" Fionna replied before she had left. Once she was completely out of earshot, Marshall let out a deep breath.

"Thank fucking God you came back when you did," he sighed and combed his hand through his hair.

"No problem, it looked like you were in a real pickle," she responded as she fixed the collar of his red flannel. Her fingers brushed against his nape and he shivered slightly. He hoped she wouldn't notice, but of course she did.

"Are you ticklish?" She asked with a smirk.

"No," he lied.

"I think you are."

"I'm not."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he stated looking down at her and ending their argument. She frowned, but only for a second before rolling her eyes.

"Whatever you liar, you're lucky I'm being nice to you," she sassed.

"Wow? You're being nice, I never would've guessed," he snarked with a flirtatious smirk.

"Well I am, so you better appreciate it."

"Whatever," he chuckled. It was only when he rubbed his thumb against the thick fabric of her belt that he realized his arm was still snugly wound around her waist. Her body was so close and he hadn't even noticed. He looked down at her and she looked up, sticking her tongue out in the most endearing way as he stared at her dumbfounded.

"Does…this mean we have to pretend to date to make sure she doesn't suspect that we're lying?" He asked. Fionna blinked, becoming aware of his arm as well as that realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"I…guess we do," she replied. "Fuck, I haven't dated anyone since college…I dunno what to do or how to act," she panicked.

"I haven't had a serious relationship since high school! All I've had is like on-again-off-agains and one night stands and shit," he told her, panicking a little as well.

"Calm down! I'm sure we can do this. I mean…it can't be that hard can it?" She was starting to sound desperate.

"I'm sure it can't be so hard, just h-hand holding and stuff like that. Our spots are already right next to each other so it shouldn't be too difficult," he pointed out.

"Yeah! This…this'll be easy…I hope."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: kiss me hurt me

Marshall laid in the grass, pursing his lips over and over again as the day continued on. His body was exhausted from the last challenge. They had to play a game called ship wreck where Peggy called out different phrases and they had to follow with a certain action. Most of the time it was just finding a group, but most of the time he was carrying Fionna around on his back. Not that he was complaining, she had such strong thighs he barely had to hold her up. He had troubles keeping his mind grounded for a while, but now all he could think about was that split second of contact between their lips before the challenge.

It was too quick for him to fully remember just how soft her lips were, but his imagination was accurate enough. Kissing Fionna was like kissing the embodiment of bliss. Every second that they've kissed was vivid to him, and he couldn't help but get lost in the thought of doing it again. It was disgusting how much he wanted her, he was starting to freak out because of it. Was this some kind of unhealthy obsession? Usually these kinda situations just kinda trail off with no part two or follow up. It was always fuck and run on both ends. He never got a call back or even a number for him to call, but now he was thinking of all the digits of Fionna's phone number. She was starting to infect him, and the scary part was how good it felt to think about her. She was barely five feet away talking to Cake about the challenge and how they were pretending to date now because of Patrice. It was adorable.

"Hey, Marshall…you doing okay over there?" Cake asked looking over at him. It took him a while to reply before blinking out of his daydream and looking over and up at her and Fionna.

"Uh…yeah," he replied. Cake chortled.

"You stuck in dream land or something like that, boy?" She said all sassy. She was talking the way she usually does when she's with someone she doesn't know too well. Fionna noticed. Whenever she starts picking up her old accent from living in the dumps she's trying to impress. She's trying to be what people perceive her to be. Marshall chuckled.

"Something like that," he murmured loud enough for them to hear. He heard more giggles as he looked back up the to underside of his tent. He could see the shadows from the fallen leaves block the yellow glow from the sunlight, and the creases in the fabric where the edges met. His eyes traced each seam before closing, and imagining soft lips pressed against his for a surprise kiss. Summer breeze past and he inhaled the scent of grass and trees and an oddly artificial vanilla flavor. It was sweet, and it made him smile.

"Are you asleep?" He heard from above him. When he opened his eyes he saw Fionna looking down at him.

"Obviously," he crooned. She smiled and rolled her eyes before flicking his forehead.

"Ouch! Hey, what was that for?"

"For being a sarcastic asshole," she said and kissed the spot she flicked. Marshall grinned.

"That was awfully nice of you," he mumbled and watched her checks turn pink.

"Shut up, dude. Patrice is like two spots away and she keeps walking back and forth and hanging out with the baker next to me," she informed him.

"Well then maybe we should do some more of that. Make it look like we're dating," he suggested, still enslaved to the idea of her kissing him again. She smacked his arm lightly.

"Maybe later if you're good," she said watching Patrice make her way back to her own spot. Marshall decided to lean up and peak as well and accidentally knocked his skull on Fionna's jaw.

"Ow! Shit!" She cursed.

"Oh fuck…" Marshall hissed rubbing his head and laying back down.

"That was graceful, you two really look like a couple," Cake called over to them.

"Shut up, Cake," Fionna grumbled still rubbing her chin.

"Make out already," Cake replied in a bite-me kinda tone. Fionna moved back to let Marshall sit up, but he remained on his back holding his hand to his forehead.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Hmm, I dunno, I might need another kiss," he said.

"As if," she scoffed. "Get up, you're fine." He did so and laughed a little.

"What's so funny?" She questioned on the defensive side. He shook his head.

"Nothing, I'm just going brain dead," he said and scooted over to sit next to her, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Oh boo hoo. Get over it," she pinched his shoulder.

"Aye, be careful. I'm a fragile soul."

"Your soul may be fragile, but that doesn't change the fact that you're all skin and bones," she snarked. He looked over at her and smirked at her.

"Yeah right. You know very well I have a bit of muscle in there too," he purred. Fionna turned red and pretended not to hear him. Why was he so shameless about what happened. Surely he has to feel some kind of mortification or embarrassment. They saw each other and got close with each other…oh god. She just realized he knows what she looks like when she…fuck.

"Speechless at the memories?" He hummed and grinned. The blond snapped out of her embarrassment as she noticed Patrice coming back and towards them.

"Fuck," she whispered.

"Huh?" Marshall started to look at where she was looking, but before he could get far Fionna cupped his face and pressed her lips to his again. At first Marshall thought he was day dreaming again and happily went along with it. She delicately shifted her lips over his and her fingers over his face. Just as he was about to press his tongue to hers he felt her pull back and than blinked at her. Of course she seemed totally unaffected by what had just happened while Marshall felt like a needy mess and craved her even more than before.

"Oh thank god, I thought she was gonna try and talk to us," she sighed with relief and dropped her hands from his face. Marshall sat there speechless staring at her with his fingers loosely laced with her hair when she looked at him again.

"You okay?" She asked. He blinked and cleared his throat, pulling his hand from her locks.

"Um…u-uh, y-yeah I'm fine. Of course I'm okay. W-why wouldn't I be?" He laughed nervously and started ripping up a patch of grass. Fionna furrowed her eyebrows and watched him fiddle with the blades of grass.

"Uh…sorry about that. I thought Patrice was gonna try and talk to us," she explained.

"It's fine. No need to apologize. It just kinda…surprised me is all," he said, his mind obviously elsewhere.

"Are you sure you're okay? I didn't mean to like upset you or anything," she spoke with concern. Marshall laughed, picked out more grass, and then laughed harder.

"Um…Marshall?"

"Sorry, it's just hilarious you think I'm upset about that," he said still chuckling slightly.

"What do you mean by that?" She inquired.

"C'mon, Fi, don't play dumb with me. You're a very skilled kisser," he told her with a smile stuck on his face. Fionna blushed.

"N-no I'm not, it's all you," she denied bashfully. Marshall snorted.

"You make me feel like an amateur, and I know I'm good."

"If anything I'm the amateur. You're the first guy I've kissed in four years," she informed him.

"Could've fooled me. I thought you were well in the game that night. You could clean up your morning escape rout, but other than that it was pretty solid," he confessed. Fionna laughed, the idea of her being "well in the game" was hysterical to her.

"Whatever dude, I was totally out of practice and let's not forget I was fucking drunk the whole time too. I am very well out of the game," she persisted.

"Maybe, but damn you sure did fool me. I was so ready to wake up to nothing, needless to say I was very happy when I didn't," he said with a sense of nostalgia, as if he'd been thinking about it ever since it happened. Fionna blushed and watched him zone out, lost in his own thoughts while waiting for her response. A few moments of silence passed when Fionna realized it was her turn to talk.

"A-anyways. That doesn't matter, i-it shouldn't have happened and like I said I was drunk a-and I shouldn't have stayed that morning-" before she could say another word Marshall had turned his head and pressed his mouth over hers. He reached up to run his fingers through her hair again and allowed himself to kiss her gently. Fionna, who was stunned at first, slowly relaxed and leaned in to him. She let him reach for her waist and pull her closer to him, her legs pressing up against his as her body turned to face him. As soon as he pulled back he kissed her again, and calmly cupped the side of her face. Fionna let her hand rest on the grass and grip the edge of his flannel with her forefinger and thumb. After a moment or two he let her go and took a few seconds to catch the breath that she stole.

"You are obviously so much better," he whispered with a smirk.

"I didn't even do anything, that was all you," she argued looking down at the grass. "Besides…you're probably just trying to land me in bed again…"

"What?"

"Ah-hem!" Fionna and Marshall looked up to see Peggy standing in front of them with her clipboard in her hands as usual. Fionna instantly pushed Marshall's hands off her and scooted herself away from him. The only emotion he could decipher on her face was guilt.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the next challenge is about to start soon, so if I were you two I'd get up there ASAP and learn to keep my hands to myself," she scolded. "This is a family friendly place, and I don't need any couples being overly affectionate."

"We're not-"

"Don't let me catch you two again," she said curtly before moving on to the next site.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: hurt me more

"Fionna!" Marshall called as she stood up and stormed ahead of him. He couldn't help but feel a wave of déjà vu as he got up to chase after her. She ignored him, of course, and continued walking faster as clouds started to gather in the air. They were mostly white, but dangerously teetering on grey.

"Fionna! Wait, please!" He reached for her hand but she tugged it away as soon as his skin touched hers. She gasped and stumbled away from him, holding her hand away from him. The look on her face was a mixture of anger and distress.

"Don't…touch me," she said quietly.

"Oh, c'mon not this again. Are you serious? I'm sorry, okay? I got carried away, but I am not just trying to land you in bed again-"

"Shut up, Marshall!" She snapped. His jaw dropped, and the clouds got darker. Fionna glared at him.

"Just…just stop it, okay? I-I get it! Y-you think I'm pretty, and you think I'm amazing, but this will never fucking work!" She shouted and turned to walk again, nearly running away from him and struggling with herself. Marshall ran up to her side.

"What are you talking about?" He demanded to know.

"You know what I'm talking about. I'd rather you to just try to fuck me again because that would make things so much fucking easier," she hissed.

"Fionna, did you really think that was my intention in the first place?" He questioned.

"I don't know what to think."

"Look, I'm sorry. I won't try to do that again-"

"Do you really think I'm upset about a stupid little kiss? You're fucking insane!" She growled as they arrived at the center.

"Hmm, are we having a lovers quarrel?" Patrice piped in as they arrived. Fionna turned her glare from Marshall to her.

"Shut the fuck up we're not even dating," she sneered. Patrice blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but Fionna could care less.

"Wha-"

"It's not the kiss, you numb-nut, it's just you in a whole. You keep fucking everything up," she told Marshall.

"Uh, hello-"

"All you do is just ruin things for me, and I don't need you. All you do is walk around like you're hot shit and flirt with me as if I'm automatically interested in you because I slept with you once!"

"Can you-"

"What do you want, Patricia?" She demanded.

"What do you mean you guys aren't even dating? I thought-"

"Oh my god, are you five? He didn't want to fuck you and you weren't getting the picture!"

"Fionna-" Marshall was immediately interrupted before he could get out another word.

"Shut up, you! You should've just made it more fucking obvious so we wouldn't have had to do this bullshit!"

"Fionna, please-"

"No, I hate you, and I'm done with you!" She screamed, angry tears starting to roll down her face as it started to sprinkle rain drops.

"Fionna, calm down," Marshall urged and eyed Peggy marching over with her clipboard. Fionna started to walk away from him, but he grabbed her arms and kept her still.

"No…no, I-I can't do this," she struggled in his grasp and started to sob. As Peggy approached them, Fionna leaned in to Marshall's chest with out even realizing the scene she had caused. He held her close and made eye contact with Peggy, his face grim and concerned as she stood in front of them.

"I'm sure you are aware of why I'm here," she said sternly and quietly. He looked around and saw all the teams that had arrived staring at them.

"Yes," he replied.

"And you can assume you've been suspended for the next couple challenges," she added.

"Yes."

"Please, figure this out. I'll be checking on you two each time a round starts to see if you're ready," she told him. He nodded.

"Good, you are dismissed," she excused.

"Thank you," he said quietly and glanced over to Patrice. He mouthed the word "sorry" before picking Fionna up and cradling her close to his chest as she cried silently with her face in his shoulder. She was too embarrassed to look at the disturbance she had caused. He carried her away from the center while the rest of the sponsors were walking the opposite way. Cold rain drops fell upon Fionna's skin, making her flinch and grip Marshall's shirt tighter in her fist. He felt bad for her. All of that rage and confusion and discomfort was bottled up inside her this whole time. It made him feel guilty for trying to flirt with her, and he hadn't even really tried he just…did.

"Let me go, I can walk for myself," she grumbled. He let her down gently and she instantly stumbled and scrapped her shin.

"Fuck…are you kidding me?" She mumbled to herself.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded and pushed herself up on wobbly legs. He offered his arm for her to lean on, and she held on to him for a few moments as the rain fell harder. Marshall looked up at the clouds. He was certain the weather reports said sun all day…

"C'mon," she urged and tugged him towards the bathroom. He didn't say anything and let her lead him to the cover as the rain fell. The building was still cold from when it was warmer and didn't make much of a difference in temperature, but the dryness was appreciated. Fionna's fingers lingered around his arm as she lead him to the paper towels. She pulled out a couple of brown sheets and started wiping at her skin and held one out for him. Marshall merely looked at her stretched out hand, still trying to understand what had happened just now.

"Are you gonna take it, or not?" She asked impatiently. He blinked and took it.

"Get on the counter," he instructed. She gave him a skeptical look and he rolled his eyes.

"Your leg is still bleeding," he informed her.

She looked down and shyly got up on the counter. Marshall knelt down and softly patted the blood away and throwing the towel away in the bin. Another was torn from the dispenser than dampened in the sink. He cleaned her shin with his warm hand on her ankle. Once he finished up he washed his hands and Fionna hopped down from the counter to lean against it, watching the floor and then following the tiles up to Marshall's legs and eventually his face. He sighed and reached across her for yet another paper towel. It should've felt awkward, or strange, but it wasn't. It was…sad.

Fionna reached out for his hand, running her fingers over his, and pulled him closer to her. For some reason he let her, interlocking his fingers with hers as she stared at them. He watched her face, and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. The blond sighed and let go of his hands to cup his face. She looked in to his eyes before leaning forward and brushing her lips against his. He opened him mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words as she stroked his cheek and tilted her chin up to kiss him. He kissed her back, knowing he probably shouldn't, and rested his hands on her hips. It was a chaste kiss, but it was also filled with something else. Something that made his heart ache the longer her lips pressed against his. He looked down at her when she pulled back, and frowned.

"Fionna, I don't want to hurt you," he whispered.

"You won't…" she murmured in response and raised up on her tip toes to kiss him again.

Every inch of him was telling him to stop, that she didn't really want this, yet he couldn't help but let her wrap herself around him. This time her lips moved against his, pressing against his as her arms wrapped around his neck. His hands subconsciously squeezed her hips, deepening the kiss and pulling her even closer against him. Fionna dug her fingers in his hair, roughing it up more than it already was. She could feel his strong hands on her body and sighed at how nice it felt to let him touch her again. The tension between them had grown so strong that letting it go felt like nirvana.

She gingerly sucked at his bottom lip, sliding her hands to his shoulders and down his arms. He pulled it from her and bit it as she continued against his neck. His fingers ran down her back while her mouth worked against his skin. He dug his nails slightly and gasped when she bit down.

"Fuck…" he whispered and ducked his head down to the crook of her neck. He then kissed at her neck until he found a way to kiss her mouth again. Marshall wasn't gentle anymore. His kisses became more desperate, and his hands held her body tighter. Fionna responded just as eagerly, reaching and pulling his hips closer to hers and rolling her own. She hoped it was obvious what she wanted from him and moaned at his tongue. He grunted and found it difficult to be neat with her, so instead he was messy and let his hands grope and grab as they pleased. She gasped and panted as he squeezed her all over. Her hips, her ass, her waist were all his to claim and touch. Her chest pressed against his as she tugged at his flannel and rolled her hips again.

"Marshall," she moaned and pulled back for air. He quickly moved down to her neck as she started to undo his belt and search through his pockets.

"God, I've wanted you so badly," he breathed while she dug out a condom from his back pocket.

"Fuck me. Please," she begged hastily and held the small package to his chest.

"I thought you'd never ask me that again," he sighed and took the square from her hands before undoing her belt and stripping it from her shorts. She gasped as he nearly tore the buttons from the denim and tugged the zipper down along with the rest of the garment. He hoisted her on to the counter and instantly attacked her with kisses. She gasped and groaned once he rubbed against her panties and pushed them aside to fully reach her. Instantly she was reduced down to moans and gasps as he slowly fucked her with his fingers and kissed her neck. Her face was red and buried in to his shoulder while she begged for more and more.

"M-Marshall…ah!" She cried, her lungs demanding more air while she tugged at his own jeans. Quickly, he opened his fly and ripped the packet with his mouth. Fionna's breath still quivered in his ear as he positioned himself in front of her.

"I'm gonna start going in," he told her, his breath ragged and tight as she nodded. He kissed her cheek and started pushing in, pleased to hear her sigh of relief.

"More," she murmured and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Fuck, I'd love to," he replied with a husky voice. He pushed all the way in and started lazily rocking back and forth, slowly loosing himself and going faster without even realizing it. Fionna dug her nails in to his back and tightened her hold on him as he worked, thrusting faster and faster without any warning. She looked up at the ceiling and let him kiss her neck and hold her tighter. He lead up to her mouth and kissed her as she moaned louder for him and pushed her hips against his. Within the next minute or two they were still and shivering with the last trace of their pleasure still running through their veins. Fionna panted and pressed a kiss to the side of Marshall's mouth just as a tear fell down and on to his shoulder.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: break me

Fionna frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a birds nest, and her mascara smudged slightly under her eyes. The biggest disappointment she saw in her sad reflection was the body paint on her arm smudged and crumbled from the rain and the sweat still clinging to her body. She did her best to fix her clothes like they were before, but her hair was something she'd have to really work at. Right now she didn't even want to stand…

Marshall had finished washing his hands, his fly still undone with the tied off condom wrapped up and disposed of. He flicked water off his fingers before grabbing another paper towel and throwing it away as well. A sigh escaped his mouth, and he finally closed the front of his pants. His mind was going at one hundred miles per hour. She didn't really want to do that…but why did she? He looked over at her and saw how blank her stare was, how forlorn she looked just standing there staring at her reflection. It made him feel so terrible. Her sad expression made his gut twist and his heart hurt for her. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her.

Fionna felt arms around her waist along with a warm pressure against her back. She saw Marshall kissing the side of her neck delicately and softly as he affectionally squeezed her. It would be a lie if she said she didn't like it or find comfort from his soft yet dry lips. Despite that, it made her ache even more, but there was no way he could know that. She put her hand over his arms and closed her eyes, tilting her head back for him to kiss more of her skin.

"You wanna go again?" She asked softly. Marshall sighed and turned her to face him. She opened her eyes to see his hard expression and realized that wasn't what he was getting at.

"Fionna…you didn't really want to do that…did you?" He questioned. She was silent, her heart pounding in her chest. Why did he have to question it? She couldn't handle anything that was happening right now.

"I…I did what I wanted to do," she replied simply. Marshall sighed again and let his head down for a moment. He rolled his neck and looked at her again.

"Fionna, don't lie to me. I can understand you actively wanting it, but I can tell you're not happy with what just happened," he said sternly, his hands on her arms, and his eyes staring directly in to hers. It was starting to make her feel uncomfortable, guilty, and shameful. She frowned.

"Look, if you didn't like it or if you didn't want to you can just leave me alone, but don't try and get things out of me that aren't there. I did it because I wanted to, and no other reason," she told him defiantly.

"Fionna, stop being so stubborn! I know something is going on with you, and you're not happy!" He snapped.

"Why does it matter to you whether or not I'm happy?" She demanded to know.

"Because I care about you!" He shouted, silencing Fionna and shocking her. This was making her feel sick.

"Fionna, I care about you so much," he murmured and pulled a strand of hair out of her face. "I want to make you happy, not sad. If…if I did something wrong, I want you to tell me because I never ever want to hurt you," he said. Fionna felt like her throat was burning. She wanted him to stop.

"I can tell you're not okay, so don't tell me you are. Just tell me what's wrong," he begged and rubbed her arm affectionately. Her eyes started to water and she could feel a jagged rock in her throat that scraped her whenever she breathed. Instead of talking she reached forward and wrapped her arms around his torso. She buried her head in to his chest and joked back sobs as he held her tightly in his arms.

"Don't worry, it's okay. It's okay to cry," he whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Please…don't s-say stuff like that," she whimpered, clutching the back of his shirt and hiding herself deeper.

"Like what?" He asked softly, rubbing her shoulder gently.

"L-like you care about me a-and that you want to make me happy…" she muffled in to his flannel. Marshall hesitated, her warm body shivering in his arms as he held her closer.

"Why not?" He whispered.

"Because I-I know you don't! That's insane," she cried.

"It's insane that I care about you?" He questioned. She sobbed and clutched the fabric tighter in her palms.

"N-no…it's insane for anyone to care about me," she quivered. Marshall carefully pulled her back to look in to her red, puffy eyes. The black smudges from her mascara ran down her cheeks, and he promptly wiped them away.

"No…it's insane you think that," he told her. She shook her head and refused to look at him.

"N-no! You d-don't understand, Marshall! I-I'm not worth this! I'm not worth anything-"

"God, who did this to you? What happened to you that made you feel so worthless?" He interrupted and continued to clean her tears. Her only response was a series of broken sobs followed by a few hiccups and attempted words.

"Fionna, calm down. Don't try and talk, just breathe," he urged and held her head steady to look at him.

"I-I'm…" she hiccuped, "s-so sorry."

"For heavens sake, Fi, don't apologize," he said and hugged her once more. As he was about to speak again the door opened. A person was pushed in by a cold gush of wind and rain as they noticed the two embracing by the sinks. Marshall made eye contact with the person before whispering to Fionna that they should probably leave. She nodded and pulled herself away from him to leave.

Fionna ran ahead of Marshall, too quick for him to catch up to her before she got to her spot. Cake wasn't there, but Fionna didn't think much of it. She instead looked around in her area and found a blanket they packed that was intended for a picnic. Instead she wrapped it around herself and sat in one of the chairs she and Cake had set up. The wind ripped through the blanket, and she couldn't stop shivering as she watch Marshall come closer and closer to their spots and lost feeling in her fingers. It was only once he finally caught up to her did she realize she was still crying.

Marshall sighed as he looked down at the shivering girl in front of him. It didn't even take him a second to pick her up and then sit down with her cradled in his lap. Her teeth were chattering as she nuzzled in to him for warmth and silently cried in to his collar. Marshall held one of her fridged hands and pressed kisses to her frozen fingers. Her warm breath tickled his collar bones, and he held her tighter as they waited in silence for the wind and rain to calm down. It wasn't a very long storm, but it wasn't a short one either.

Although it was windy, nothing blew away, and the ground wasn't completely soaked once the rain had lightened up. Marshall figured it would still be cloudy for an hour or two. For the most part it seem as if the rain and wind had passed completely, yet Fionna was still shivering ever so slightly in his arms. It only took him a moment to realize she wasn't shivering, she was still crying. He frowned and rubbed her fingers until they were as warm as his. Her face was hidden from him and the rest of the world, but her hair was blown in every direction. She didn't bother to fix it, but Marshall instantly started to organize the curls and strands in to their correct places.

"I don't want you to feel upset or guilty about what happened between us," he spoke softly. Her only response was a sniffle. "I just want to know what's going on, and…and why you're so upset," he continued.

"I don't want you to think I only slept with you that one time because I was drunk, or because I'm a one night guy. I…I like you. I like you a lot, and I just…ah, fuck…" he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not too good with mushy emotion words about my feelings if you can't tell," he muttered. He felt a slight giggle warm his neck and looked down at her. Fionna finally removed her face from his neck and wiped her damp eyes.

"I…I kinda like you too," she murmured shyly and looked him in the eyes. Marshall chuckled and pulled her fringe in to place.

"Only kinda? That's harsh," he said. His hand continued to run through her hair as she smiled and enjoyed his fingers.

"I'm very…cautious with myself," she told him. Marshall nodded in agreement. He had noticed. "And I'm especially cautious when it comes to guys and dating them and talking to them," she explained.

"Is there a reason for that? Or are you just a cautious person in general?" He asked and moved his hand to caress her cheek, smooth and dry from her tears.

"Um…I learned the hard way to be careful…"

"So there's a reason."

She nodded.

"What happened?" He questioned. Fionna cleared her throat and looked down at the blanket wrapped around her.

"You remember that guy I said I dated for a few years? The one I dated in high school and in to college?" She asked timidly. Marshall nodded.

"Well…it turned out he only asked me out because of a dare, and I know that doesn't sound really bad because it lasted so long but…it wasn't just that," she told him.

"I dunno, asking someone out on a dare seems pretty shitty to me," Marshall said. Fionna shook her head.

"No…he…he did a lot worse." She assured him and paused. "He, uh…he never liked me at all. He was just doing it because his parents really liked me and I was set on going to college and I was a good influence and all that crap. All of his friends were my friends, so breaking up with me and saying it was a dare would make everything…complicated in the group."

"So instead he lied to you for, what, three years?"

"Two and a half, but yeah. Basically," she replied. Marshall frowned and bit his lip. Knowing that someone was so terrible to her made him angry beyond belief.

"I don't know why he let it go on for so long…I thought we would, y'know, end up married or something like that. I should've known, really, all my friends in college told me he was a piece of shit and that he cheated a lot. I never asked him about it, but I could tell. He always had a hickie somewhere and scratches up and down his back when we hadn't done anything in weeks. I always looked the other way when we went to parties and he left with a different girl…I was so blind," her voice cracked and she took a moment to regain her voice.

"The worst part was when he snapped. He never fought with me, or raised his voice at me except for when he broke it off. Something…I don't know what, set him off and he just started screaming. He told me I was annoying and stupid and that he's been cheating on me for over a year and I hadn't even questioned it. He told me everything. He told me about the dare and his parents and the guilt I made him feel. He said I made him feel so ashamed about himself that I gave him anxiety and depression. He said I-I was so bossy and controlling. H-he said I-I was stiff and completely cold in bed. He s-said that he thought he could've at least gotten a few good f-fucks out of me b-but I wasn't g-good enough a-and that I was t-the coldest b-bitch he had ever m-met!" Fionna couldn't help but cry again. Tears flowed down her face like waterfalls, and sobs stabbed her chest over and over again. Marshall cursed and held her close to him again, cradling and hugging her again.

"H-he said he had n-never been so disappointed in h-his life! He said I-I was so disgusting a-and f-fat! He shouted at me and s-said I gained so much weight once I got in to college! He t-threw food at me as h-he stormed out and left me a-alone in my dorm…h-he just left me," she wept. Marshall shushed her softly and did his best to sooth her. His hands comforted her body as he pressed another kiss to her forehead.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: fix me

It took a while for Fionna to calm down. Her body shook in Marshall's arms as he held her and pressed warm kisses to her face and neck. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear to settle her until she was finally able to speak again. With her face buried in Marshall's chest, she took steady deep breaths and fiddled with his collar between her fingers. She pulled away and rubbed at her tired eyes, her face expressing nothing but utter exhaustion. Marshall watched her yawn and stretch before slinking back down in to his lap before he heard her speak.

"Fuck, I'm so tired now. I dunno if I'll be able to do these challenges properly," she mumbled and started gathering her hair up in to a ponytail.

"You should definitely take a nap or something, that was…a lot for you to go through," he suggested.

"There's no where I could nap here, we're in a park for Christ's sake," she snarked. Marshall rolled his eyes and ran his hand down her shins.

"What am I? Chopped liver? No way, you can nap on me," he said. Fionna blushed.

"W-what? No way, you have faces to paint," she resisted.

"Fi, you're already wrapped up. I don't have to be painting the entire time, and I can wake you up after a couple of hours," he assured her.

"I-I dunno, Marshall, doesn't it seem a bit too soon to be that…intimate?" She questioned, keeping her voice low despite the fact that literally no one was listening to them. Marshall raised a questioning eyebrow. Did she really just ask that?

"Fionna, we literally just had se-"

"Shut up! Don't say that out loud!" She squeaked as turned red, pulling up the blanket to hide her face. Marshall had to fight how fucking adorable he found her to continue.

"Okay. We were very _very _intimate with each other not too long ago, and you think taking a nap on me is too soon?" He asked. Fionna peeked up at Marshall from under her blanket, her eyes barely able to stay hooked to his for five seconds at a time.

"Um…yeah, I am," she replied sheepishly.

Marshall chuckled and pulled the blanket from her face. She was nervously chewing on her lower lip as she waited for him to say or do something. Her simple and mundane habit had intrigued him, and he was stuck staring at her lips as she bit them and abused them. It made him want her again right then and there, but all he could do was stare at her. She noticed his gaze was stuck on her mouth, and could see the exact moment he started to doze off. His eyes became heavy and misty as he stared, and his own mouth curved in to a smirk.

Fionna had seen this look on him before, but only once. That morning she woke up in his apartment he wore the same lustful expression, and she secretly loved it. A few moments went by when he suddenly leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. She gasped as he stayed perched above her mouth and smiled like an idiot at her reaction. Her hands had found their way over his chest feeling his lungs and heart underneath his warm flannel. Before he moved any closer, Marshall hesitated and frowned.

"You know I'd never do anything like that, right?" He asked in a more serious tone. Fionna blinked up at him.

"I never thought he'd do it either," she told him. Marshall rested his forehead against hers.

"Fi, what he did to you…was terrible. It was completely and absolutely atrocious. No one in their right mind would be so unforgivably brutal to someone as wonderful as you," he whispered. Fionna did her best to take calm breaths as she cupped his face. Her fingers dug in to his thick, coarse, dark hair and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"You're too sweet," she said and ran her fingers through his fringe. Marshall smirked, and held her closer to him.

"Nah, you just can't see how beautiful you are…" he replied and bit his lip. Fionna shook her head, continuing to be stubborn and softly tapping her head against his.

"Or maybe you have a really strong pair of affection glasses," she smiled as she found comfort in his hands. Marshall shook his head too and looked out to see that the clouds had parted.

"Listen, Fi, we could argue about this all day. As entertaining as that sounds, it's not on the top of my list of things I want to talk about," he murmured looking back down to her.

"What do you want to talk about?" She wondered. He paused.

"I know it's difficult for you, but I have to ask you to trust me. Trust that I never want to hurt you," he begged. Fionna nervously chewed on her lip again, and furrowed her brows. Marshall could tell his request was concerning and that she was distraught revisiting those memories, but he needed her to trust him.

"I…I-I dunno. I don't really know you that well," she mumbled.

"Then I'll get you to trust me, because right now I don't have a choice. I'm…in too deep with you," he stammered.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't usually have normal relationships. Mostly because I fall way too easily, but also because the past few years it's been hook ups and on-again-off-agains. I don't have a choice…because I'm dangerously close to possibly really really really really really really liking you," he explained. Fionna giggled.

"Do you only really like me right now?" She asked.

"Oh no, right now I really really like you. The more time I spend with you, the more I really like you. I only have four more really's before I'm all yours," he grinned. Again, Fionna giggled. Her smile made Marshall's heart melt as he reached to hold one of her hands. "Make that three."

"So what happens when you get to six really's?" She inquired. Marshall shrugged.

"Probably something crazy like ask you to be my girlfriend," he said. Fionna blushed and played with his fingers intertwining with her own.

"That is a bit crazy," she agreed. His fingers made hers look tiny in comparison, and easily wrapped around her smooth hand. He rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand, and noticed the blue polish chipping off her nails.

"I dunno, I think it's crazier how long you resisted me despite how much you obvious like me back," he teased. Fionna tried to glare at him, but couldn't resisted a smile.

"I didn't like you back ever, and I still don't," she claimed. Marshall laughed a hearty laugh, his voice strong yet light as he chortled at what she had said.

"Yeah right, I totally believe that."

"It's true. Did you think I've been hung up on you ever since that one night stand?" She challenged. His laugh calmed to a chuckle.

"Well it wasn't really a one night stand, was it? You couldn't even make it out the door with out one more go," he pointed out. Fionna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Plus, you did just say you kinda like me not too long ago," he reminded her.

"Yeah, only a little bit," she said stubbornly. Marshall sighed and shook his head at her.

"Damn, you're so fucking difficult," he stated. Fionna frowned.

"Well, if you have a problem with that you can just stop trying right now," she told him sternly. Marshall smiled and leaned down to kiss her. He lingered against her lips as Fionna gripped his hand in hers. Instead of fighting, she instantly kissed him back.

"No. I have the opposite of a problem with that," he muttered.

"Shut the fuck up," Fionna sighed and pulled his face down to kiss him again, her lips working with his instead of against his as she had done before. Her tongue sneaked it's way against his as she controlled how he moved against her. Marshall did as she instructed with her body and held her legs and back as she messed him up with her tongue and stubby fingers.

"What the fuck is going on over here?" Shouted a familiar voice. Fionna instantly pushed Marshall's face from hers and looked over to see Cake coming up from the track and under their tent. She instantly sighed in relief and dropped her hands from the sides of Marshall's face.

"Oh thank god, I thought you were Peggy or someone important," she said. Cakes jaw dropped, and she looked insulted and made Fionna laugh.

"Girl, I am your best friend. Of course I'm someone important," she shouted again.

"I know that, don't worry," Fionna giggled and patted her friends hand.

"And you still haven't told me what the fuck is going on over here," Cake sassed and crossed her arms.

"Oh, nothing really…just chatting," Fionna lied with a grin.

"Mm-hmm? I didn't know you could chat with your fucking tongues down each others throats," she retorted. That made Marshall crack up and Fionna blush a shade deeper.

"Girl, get off him and explain your damn self," she ordered. Fionna sighed and tugged her blanket off of her before crawling out of Marshall's lap and stretching.

"I'll see you later," she said to him before following Cake to the track.

"See ya," he nodded and stood up to walk back to his face paints. Fionna hurried to catch up with her friend and felt completely out of place. Her head felt light and her eyes were heavy. She could barely pay attention when she realized Cake was talking.

"What happened? Last thing I heard you say was you didn't wanna try with him, and now I see you sucking his face? Weren't you shouting at him an hour and a half ago?" She demanded to know.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a little confused too," she responded. Cake stopped and looked back at her friend. Sunset was getting closer, and a bright orange made everything glow. Unfortunately, the glow didn't erase Fionna's tired, puffy eyes or her lazy posture she only had when she was exhausted.

"You okay? You look five minutes away from death," Cake asked. Fionna nodded and wiped the mascara smudges under her eye and looked at the black staining her fingertips.

"I'm fine, just tired," she answered.

"Oh shoot, Fi, were you crying?" Cake held her face to see her clearly.

"Yeah, but I'm fine now," she reassured her.

"Honey, what happened? Was it when you and Marshall were fighting?"

"No…he never fought with me. I snapped at him because…because he kissed me and I couldn't handle it," she informed her.

"He kissed you before that?" Cake was shocked. Fionna nodded.

"Yeah, and I was screaming and I was scared. Peggy said we couldn't participate in the challenges until I calmed down, and it was raining and I tripped…" she looked down at the small scrap on her shin and took a deep breath.

"Was is Conner again? Were you thinking about him again?" She questioned calmly.

"Yeah, and I-I got…I got really out of control," she continued. Cake pulled them out of the way of the other people walking the track.

"What did Conner make you do?" She asked quietly. Fionna shook her head.

"God, I'm tired of him. Conner didn't make me do anything, it's my fault. I haven't talked to him in years, can we just stop saying he made me act out whenever I think of him when I'm fucking up?" She begged. Cake rubbed her back and whispered of course.

"What did you do?" She rephrased.

"It was so stupid…he took me in to the bathrooms so we could get cleaned up from the rain. H-he was so kind, and I felt so bad for yelling at him. I wasn't even thinking when it was happening, but we…I…I had sex with him," she confessed.

"You had sex with him in the bathroom?" Cake nearly shouted. Fionna shushed her and begged her to keep her voice down.

"I'm sorry, but I never thought you would find a way to do that here!"

"I'm sorry, I-I just couldn't handle myself. I needed a distraction a-and he was right there," she tried to explain.

"Fi, I'm not mad. Even if I was, I'm your friend, not your mother. I'm just…wow, I'm surprised," she assured her.

"Me too…"

"Is that all? You guys just fucked and made up?"

"No…I told him about Conner," she told her.

"Oh my god…" Cake was speechless after that and gaping at her friend. She never told anyone about Conner, and when she did it was extremely hard for her. Whenever she even thinks about it she starts to tear up, and when she talks she cries.

"So he knows everything, and he wants me to trust that he would never do that and trust him and…he's too sweet," she said.

"Too sweet? Honey, he's not too sweet, you just can't admit that he's what you deserve."

"No, I don't deserve him at all…"


	17. Chapter 17

DISCLAIMER*** This chapter is a flashback to Fionna and Marshall's first night together.

Chapter 17: what was left unsaid

"Your breath is gross," Fionna slurred as she leaned against Marshall's arm. He chuckled as they walked down the hall of his apartment building.

"Not as gross as that nasty attitude you have," he snarked and she giggled with him.

"Mm-mm, everything about you…so gross," she chortled and rolled her neck, moving her hair out of her face and exposing some of her skin. "Makes me wanna vomit," she grinned. Marshall rolled his eyes and stopped in front of his door.

"This your place?" She asked with a burp.

"Uh, yeah. It is," he replied. They looked at each other and came to the realization that their night was drawing to an end. Fionna's hand on Marshall's arm tightened and her head started to pound. She closed her eyes and put her hand to her head.

"Mmm…" she hummed and ran her fingers through her long hair. Marshall watched as her curls bounced and settled over her shoulders perfectly. The golden blond contrasted against his dark jacket he draped over her when they were outside, yet her flushed face blended with her hair so perfectly. Her rosy lips had been abused by her teeth. Patches of dried skin peeled off to reveal red and raw spots that stood out against the natural pink. Despite the strong smell of alcohol between them, he was entranced by it and found her bitten lips so enticing.

"You okay?" He asked. She blinked up at him and let her hand fall from her hair.

"Yeah…I just don't know if I'll be able to get home from how wasted I am," she sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You wanna come in for a bit and get some Advil?" He offered. Fionna nodded and let him lead her in to his cozy apartment. It wasn't anything too fancy and was definitely smaller than hers, but for some reason she really liked it. The atmosphere he set was warm and welcoming. There was nothing intimidating or overly complicated like a few things in her apartment. No elaborately designed pillows or surplus of furniture. His TV was small and his walls were a warm color she couldn't quite make out in the dark.

"Hold on, lemme get the lights," he said letting go of her arm.

"Marshall?" She murmured as he closed the door.

"Hold on," he repeated and made his way through the dark room. A second later the room was lit by a radiant lamp next to his beaten up couch. His coffee table was trashed with sketches and a combination of empty beer and pop cans. His living room was directly connected to his kitchen where he stumbled his way over to. Fionna blinked slowly, starting to feel more numbness from the alcohol. It was only when she looked down at the floor did she register why he was stumbling so much. There was an assortment of things scattered across the floor. Old shoes were left in front of the door, and paper was over flowing from the trash bin. That plus the cramped-ness of his apartment made it a little difficult to maneuver through.

"I thought you were a rich boy," she said and started making her way to his kitchen.

"Ah, no. My dad is a rich boy, I'm just the son that inherited his sloppy habits and with no maid to clean up after me," he told her and filled up a glass with water. She giggled again and leaned against the counter.

"But, I promise my bed is very clean. My bedroom not so much, but I make sure to wash my sheets frequently," he winked at her as he handed over the water and Advil. Fionna smirked and accepted the items.

"Something tells me you have to from how often they get dirty," she said before taking the pills. He laughed and took the glass from her when she was finished before dumping it out in his sink.

"What makes you think that? I thought it was obvious how much of a saint I am," he joked and crossed his arms over his chest. Fionna bit her lip again, but not because of dry skin this time.

"I caught on," she smiled. Fionna couldn't process her words. Normally she would say something like, "yeah right, if you're a saint I'm a devout sinner," and slap him. But for some reason she didn't refuse the bait. She took a bite.

"What exactly did you catch on to?" He asked in a low voice while coming closer to her. His arms fell from his chest and let his hands hang by his sides. Fionna noticed just how close he was. She could see every single freckle on his tanned skin and between each of his eye lashes. She could feel his body and the little distance there was between him and her. Her eyes were fixed on his as he waited for her response.

"I caught on to how much you like to fuck," she answered rather bluntly. Marshall laughed, his body shaking and his grin stretched even wider with amusement.

"What's so funny?" She questioned with a smile on her face as well. He settled down after a moment and took a step even closer, his fingers starting to intertwine with hers.

"I don't like to fuck…" he murmured and leaned down to her face. "I love to fuck," he corrected. Chills ran down Fionna's spine as she stared up at him with heavy lidded eyes. She could feel the lust start to infect her as his warm breath brushed against her bottom lip.

"Most of all, I'd love to fuck you," he continued and moved to whisper in her ear. Fionna's heart raced as his hand fully held hers.

"Would you mind if I did? Can I fuck you? Can I…kiss you?" He asked and nuzzled against her neck. "Can I touch you?"

"Ah…M-Marshall," she stuttered, the heat from his mouth lingering on her neck.

"I'm not gonna do anything until you say yes," he mumbled and kept his face close to hers. It took her a moment to find her tongue before she stuttered out a yes, her body standing ridged in front of him.

"Shh…relax and try again," he soothed. "Answer me: can I touch you?" He asked.

"Yes," Fionna replied sternly. Marshall placed his hand on her waist and gently pushed her closer to him. When their bodies touched, Fionna couldn't help but gasp slightly.

"Now, can I kiss you?" He questioned.

"Yes…of course," she nodded. He pressed a calm kiss to her neck and up to her mouth where he lingered. His lips started out calm, but it wasn't long before he got rougher and rougher. She felt his hand leave hers and move to cup her face as his tongue made her lose all feeling in her legs. He bit on her lower lip as he pulled back to look at the lust-filled girl in his arms. She had started to breath heavy when he was kissing her, and didn't ask for more out of embarrassment.

"Can I fuck you?" He asked finally. She nodded and watched him smile and chuckle before leaning in to kiss her once more.

Fionna's memory was a blur after that. She remembered being carried to his bed and him flinging her clothes all around the room. The next solid memory she had was with his hand down her panties before slipping them off and tossing them near his pillows. His chest was bare, and his eyes were filled with a burning desire to touch her. He smirked at her lewd expression and resumed his hand between her legs. The blond gasped and shivered. Her senses were dulled by the alcohol, yet every time he touched her it was like being struck by lightning. She dragged her nails up his back with his fingers deep inside of her. Her cries of desperation were torturing Marshall as well, and he could barely stand it anymore. He kissed her neck, adding to the various hickeys he had already left, and leading up to her lips. She moaned in to his mouth and let his tongue overtake her.

"Fuck…fuck!" He groaned and squeezed her breast in his free hand. Fionna whimpered and gnawed on her bottom lip more. She had no idea where her bra had gone, let alone her skirt and blouse, and she could barely recall him tossing her panties earlier. Every time she tried to focus on something she was distracted by the feeling he thrusted in to her. She could tell this wouldn't be the best sex she ever had, but it would still be good. There was nothing about him that made it good, just what he was doing. It wouldn't matter if it was anybody else. She gasped when he pulled out his fingers and watched him lick them off. It kinda grossed her out, but it wasn't important. What was important was how fast he can get the fucking condoms.

"Damn I can't wait to feel you," he growled in a husky voice. She giggled up at him as he reached over to his nightstand and pulled back a condom.

"Hurry up, I'm waiting," she purred and rubbed her legs against his waist. He bit his lip and instantly started to tear off the foil with his teeth and roll on the condom with shaking hands.

"C'mon, I need you now," she coaxed and pushed him closed by crossing her legs over his back.

"Shit!" Marshall hissed as she rubbed herself against his length. He instantly started to push in and groaned at the warmth he found inside her. Fionna cried out and panted for air, gripping parts of his skin and digging her nails in so she drew blood. She whined and whimpered as he pushed in and drew out at a sluggish pace. His brain was instantly fogged up with pleasure, slowly rocking back and forth until he felt the need to go faster and faster.

"Fuck!" Fionna moaned and threw her head back against his sheets. She was so warm, so wet, that he couldn't handle how fucking fantastic it felt. He panted like a dog as he pushed faster and faster, his skin sliding and hitting against hers. Fionna's toes curled and her hips started to roll against his as well. Marshall lost track of time and everything around him, but it didn't take him long to attack her breasts and neck with kisses and slip his hand between them to focus on her clit. Fionna choked on a gasp once he stroked her and nearly melted in his arms. Her nails dragged all the way down to his arms as she arched her back and body in to his bed. Her fingers gripped his wrists so hard her knuckles turned white. She could barely choke out a few moans and gasps, but was mostly silent from how over whelming the pleasure was.

"God, Marshall!" She groaned and pressed his back closer to her again. He grinned and clasped his mouth over her nipple, pressing his tongue against the sensitive nub and enjoying the sounds of her skin. Fionna moaned when he slammed his hips in to hers. She felt so close, and struggled to keep herself grounded. She remembered how it felt when she finally came and her voice froze as he fucked her through her orgasm. The overwhelming feeling of pure pleasure and heat washed over her and it finished off with the warm feeling inside of her when he came shortly after her.

The blond took some time to catch her breath. Her brain was still too mellowed out from the beer for her to fully process what had just happened between them. His chest heaved against hers as he continued to kiss her neck and cheek. She didn't have the strength to tell him she was too tired, but soon enough his trembling arms gave out underneath him and he flopped down on top of her. Marshall nuzzled against her neck as she twirled her fingers in his thick dark hair. A chuckle escaped his throat and he lazily pulled out and tied off the used condom. Fionna watched from where she was as he stumbled to his trash can and back on top of her. Another laugh bubbled from his mouth as he pressed a kiss between her breasts.

"What are you giggling about?" She asked.

"It's funny…not too long ago you were totally pissed at me, but now we just fucked," he mumbled and kissed her skin again.

"That's 'cause you got me drunk, you dumb ass," she teased and conked him as hard as she could with the little energy she had left.

"You want some more?" He asked.

"No thank you, you fucked every last ounce of energy out of me," she sighed and laid her head back on his sheets.

"I was talking about beer," he told her.

"Oh…yeah sure," she sat up as he crawled off her and lead her back to his kitchen. After that neither of them remembered a thing, but Fionna could barely remember kissing on his counter. Anything after that, was left unsaid.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: can't help falling…

"Are you sure you guys can do this?" Peggy asked Marshall. He nodded and shaded the sun out of his eyes with his hand. The clouds had disappeared after an hour like he had predicted, and so far they had only missed two challenges.

"I'm positive, Fionna was just under a lot of pressure. We had a little chat, and everything is okay now," he assured her. Peggy lifted a skeptical brow and looked over at the blond in her station.

"Hmmm…I'm not sure," she said.

"Please, Peggy, I swear. No more break downs or making out or shouting or profanity, I promise!" He pleaded desperately. Peggy looked back to him and then down to her clip board.

"The next challenge is in a half an hour, and there's only two more after that one," she told him.

"I thought there were twelve."

Peggy shook her head.

"No, we decided to keep it within the daylight to avoid any possible injuries. The lights aren't as strong as we thought," she explained.

"Okay, thank you so much, I promise we won't make a scene this time," he smiled.

"You better have stuff sorted with that girl. She seems like a sweetheart, and from what I heard you've been pestering her for quite some time today, mister," she spoke sternly.

"Yes, I know, and I didn't mean too. It was all a miscommunication, we talked it out together. Trust me, we won't be fighting anymore," he reassured her. She gave him a bit of a glare before nodding and shooing him off. He left after another thank you, and jogged back to Fionna and Cake in their tent.

"Good news-"

"We can participate?" Fionna asked hopefully. Marshall grinned at her gleaming face and nodded.

"Yeah, she gave us the okay," he replied. Cake looked between the two of them and rolled her eyes.

"That's great! Anything is better than just sitting around and making flower crowns. I swear I've made thirty today, and they sell fast," she rambled and refocused on the headband in her lap. Marshall chuckled and leaned down to sit with the two girls.

"Well, there's no doubt that they're damn good flower crowns," he said.

"Whatever, it's just cheap to make," Cake muttered.

"Oh yeah, these fabric flowers were like three dollars a bunch on eBay, and the wire was five for a roll at JoAnn's," Fionna recalled and continued weaving the wire through the faux flowers.

"Oh yeah, and thank god for that small business discount, lord knows we fucking need it," Cake chortled. Fionna laughed along with her, but Marshall was stuck watching Fionna work.

He couldn't figure out what it was about her that intrigued him so easily. His first initial thought was it was everything. All of the things he knew about her made her interesting to him, but he couldn't possibly be attracted to all of her qualities. Surely there was at least one thing that put him off. He didn't really like the way she got mad at him so easily…but then again he did. It was frustrating trying to decipher his exact feelings for her. All he knew for certain was that he liked being around her and he liked the way she made him feel. He felt different, like a changed man, yet the same as he's always been. He also knew that she was visually and physically pleasing, but that wasn't his sole reason of attraction. It wasn't that they were a perfect match either, it was something different. Something…unique.

"Keep your eyes to yourself, lover boy," Cake hissed tossing some fake flowers at Marshall. He snapped out of his thoughts and blinked over at her.

"Huh?" He took a moment to reorientate himself. "What?"

"Take your goo-goo eyes to your station, you've got people waiting," she snapped. He looked over to his table and noticed a few people looking at his designs, and quickly jumped up to his table. Fionna giggled as he rushed to greet them.

"What a clown," Cake scoffed. Fionna looked over and her and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Cake, what do you got against him?" She asked.

"Did you see the way he was staring at you? It was almost like he was hypnotized," she told her. Fionna gave her a funny looked and glanced back at Marshall. He was busy painting someone's face to notice, so she turned back to Cake with the same expression.

"Really?"

Cake nodded vigorously.

"Seriously, I think this guy is really falling head over heels for you," she said sincerely. Fionna blushed.

"I-I doubt that. I know that we talked and made up a little bit, but I don't think he's _falling _for me like falling in love. That's ridiculous, we just like each other," Fionna assured Cake. Cake shook her head.

"Nu-uh, Fi. I've seen that look. That guy was deep in thought. He was probably thinking 'bout you and why he likes you so goddamn much," she argued. Fionna blushed deeper.

"W-what? Is that even a thing? Who wonders why they like a person so much? You just like them."

"Trust me, Fi. When we were first becoming friends I spent a long time trying to figure out why I thought you were so cool. I mean, you're nothing like the gang I hung out with at the time, yet I still chilled with you," she confessed.

"Really?"

"Hell yeah, and all my boys asked me why I was hanging with some scrawny white chick and I always told them, 'I dunno, she nice.'"

"Well, did you ever figure out why?" Fionna asked. Cake nodded.

"Oh yeah, and it wasn't just because you were nice. It was because your ass wasn't racist. Most of the white folks around our school were racist as fuck. Teachers flunked me because I'm half black," she told her.

"Is that it? You like me because I'm a decent human being? And also Mr. Bentley was a fucking twat and he deserved to get egged."

"Thank you, and no. That wasn't the only reason. I also liked you because you cute, and you always made me feel good about myself," she said. Fionna smiled.

"Awh, Cake! You're so sweet," she reached over and hugged her friend who gladly accepted her embrace.

"Nah, it's just the truth. But it took me a long time to figure that shit out. What I'm trying to say is that Marshall is in the process of trying to figure it out as well which means he's hella in to you," she explained. Fionna sighed.

"I dunno, I haven't really been with anybody," she muttered.

"I know, your most serious relationship was with your cousin when you were five," Cake provoked.

"Shut up! I didn't know anything back then!" Fionna growled out of embarrassment and hid her face with her half finished crown. Cake howled with laughter.

"At least you didn't kiss him! That would've been a hell of a story," she grinned. Fionna whined and fell over on her side to the fetal position.

"Shut up…"

Fionna spent most of the half hour she had trying to ignore Marshall looking at her from his painting station. Once Cake had pointed it out it was impossible to ignore it. Every now and then her eyes would snag on his, and he would end up smirking as he painted people's faces. She did her best not to smile back and avoid looking at him, but soon she found herself staring as well. She was more fascinated with his hands and how he painted. Needless to say her gaze did often wander, but for the most part she watched him work. It got to the point where she had completely dropped the crown she had been working on. He was smiling the whole time, happy to have captured her interest and almost rushing to finish his work.

Soon they only had ten minutes, and that's when Marshall started cleaning his brushes and gave more direct eye contact to Fionna. She blushed once their eyes connected and looked down at the grass. This made him laugh and set down his tools so he could walk over and sit next to her.

"Hey there," he grinned.

"H-hey," she stuttered and fiddled with the flowers in her lap.

"The sun is gonna set in about five hours," he told her, noticing the sun starting to droop in the sky. It was still pretty high, but it was well past noon.

"Really? I didn't notice," she murmured and glanced over at his converse. They were red like his plaid, but they were more faded, and the fabric was split and frayed in some spots.

"Yup, I love the color of sunsets," he said.

"Wow, I didn't know you were so cliché," Fionna snarked. Marshall laughed and nudged her shoulder with his. She smiled and finally looked up at him.

"I know it is, but I don't like the orange part. Too bright," he replied.

"Then what do you like about it?" She asked turning her body more towards him and flipping her hair out of her face.

"The most obvious is the last rays of golden yellow from the burning ball of gas we call the sun," he smirked and she giggled as he ran his fingers through her blond strands.

"Second is the lovely reds and pinks it brings out, it reminds me of the color of lewd blush in the midst of making love," he spoke in a low voice as he cupped her face and ran his thumb of her cheek. As he predicted, she blushed.

"How poetic," she said quietly. Marshall scooted himself closer to her so their legs touched and they were merely a couple inches apart.

"And lastly, I love the last glance of blue in the sky before it's overtaken by the midnight," he whispered and watched her bright blue eyes.

She blinked and tried to pull her eyes away, but it was impossible. His deep green eyes were clearly hazel now that she had a closer look. The warm brown around his iris made him that much more appealing to her. When she finally managed to look away she lowered her gaze to his mouth and let his hands comb through her hair. He was biting his lip, as usual, and smirking as well. She couldn't tell if it was him or her who leaned forward, but regardless his lips ended up brushing against hers. His fingers intertwined with hers as he hovered his mouth over hers and hesitated.

"Are you going to kiss me?" Fionna murmured. Marshall chuckled and nodded.

"Eventually," he whispered back. Fionna giggled and placed her free hand on his knee.

"Well you better hurry or else I'll kiss you," she threatened. Marshall grinned.

"Please do."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: test runs

Marshall closed his eyes and took a deep breath, doing his best to concentrate on the task ahead of him. He was never really good at this, and this was the only toss Fionna would allow him since she was nearly professionals plus both sponsors had to participate. Every single time she tossed was perfect. He sighed and opened his eyes. Only one try. Only one chance to get the horseshoe around the pole. It was ridiculous of course, but he kinda had too. Virtually everyone else sucked at it, except Fionna and that baker guy, and he was one of those people. In fact, he can't recall a time in his life he's ever seen a real horseshoe. They were bigger than he had thought.

"Don't worry, okay? Just do your best. It doesn't matter if you get this or not. Either way, we got this round in the bag," Fionna spoke quietly so others couldn't hear.

"Thanks for the pep talk, babe, but I don't think it's helping," he replied. Fionna blushed and mutter something along the lines of "don't call me babe," before backing off and letting him toss.

Marshall chuckled and took another deep breath. His hands shook slightly as he tossed the horseshoe and crossed his fingers once the metal left his skin. He closed his eyes and brought his hands to his face to avoid witnessing his terrible toss. To his surprise, he heard a clink and peeked through his fingers. The horseshoe barely hooked around the pole and was sprawled on top of the rest of the horseshoes.

"Fionna and Marshall have finished first and managed to get all their horseshoes on the pole! Congratulations!" Peggy announced with a grin. Marshall laughed in astonishment and ran his fingers through his hair. He heard Fionna's delightful giggle and nearly fell over when she tackled him and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"Oh my god! I knew you could do it!" She shrieked and hugged him tightly.

"Really? Miss 'it doesn't matter if you get it or not, just do your best'," Marshall sassed and wrapped his arms around her.

"I still knew you would make it," she grumbled and rolled her eyes at him.

"Sure thing, babe," he provoked and pulled her hair out of her face.

"Ugh, c'mon I told you not to call me that," she complained and tried to wriggle out of his arms. He only laughed and let her grab his hand instead to lead him back to their sites. He looked back and waited to be a good distance away from Peggy before coming up close behind her and placing his hand on her lower back.

"But it sounds so much sexier when I call you babe," he whispered and kissed the side of her neck. Fionna shivered and shot him an annoyed look. He only smirked in reply before placing his hand back in to hers.

"Did you happen to think that's why I don't want you to say it?" She challenged. Marshall's smirk turned in to a presently surprised smile.

"So you do like it when I call you babe?"

"Not around people, but yeah…I guess. Only like a little bit or something," she confessed. "And just because it's sexier doesn't mean it instantly turns me on. It's just more embarrassing when you call me that around people," she snapped. Marshall laughed and rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand.

"I get it, don't worry. I'll do my best to remember that."

"You two took your sweet time coming over here, how'd it go?" Cake asked once they approached her.

"Pretty good considering Fionna did most of the work. My turn was purely luck," Marshall told her as they plopped down on the grass with her.

"Yeah? What was it…horseshoes?" She tried to recall.

"Yup, and it wasn't completely luck. I saw some technique in there," Fionna said pinching Marshall's arm. He jolted away from her and laughed as he rubbed his arm.

"Shit, you pinch hard."

"Suck it up," Cake sassed and took a drink from her water bottle.

"Which one was that? The second to last one?" Fionna asked. Marshall nodded.

"Yeah, the one before was like a pie eating contest or something," he remembered.

"No it was like pie throwing or something. I think we won that one too," she corrected.

"Yeah, you guys really make a great team," Cake added.

"You think so?" Fionna questioned.

"Oh yeah, even when you two were at each others throats you guys worked really well together."

"Hm…I didn't really think that. I just thought people weren't being too smart because most of these things are easy," Fionna spoke as she felt Marshall start to play with her fingers.

"Man, if you watch the other teams play its like watching a dysfunctional marriage. They keep arguing and fucking shit up and nearly screaming at each other. I swear it is not good for my stress levels because watching them will really get you going."

"Wow, I didn't notice at all," Fionna said while she let Marshall hold her hand again.

"What do you think the last challenge will be?" Cake inquired.

"Probably something like potato sack race or three legged race. These things usually end with a race or some shit like that," Marshall guessed.

"That, and they're setting up a finish line in the track over there," Fionna pointed out.

"That too," Marshall nodded.

"Oh and there's a couple of cute ones too," Cake noticed and stood up from the grass.

"Are you gonna talk to one of them?" Fionna asked.

"Girl, are you even asking that?" Cake retorted as she walked away from them. Both Fionna and Marshall laughed while they watched her leave. Fionna rolled her eyes.

"Of course."

Marshall was right, it was a three legged race at the end. It was surprisingly easy for them to run together, but they did stumble a few times. It was a quick and easy challenge compared to the previous ones, yet it was the most difficult for the rest of the teams. They tripped over the finish line, of course, and laughed as they rolled around on the pavement and on to the grass. Once they got situated Peggy announced them as the winners and they kissed as the sun set.

"Fuck, that's a lot of stars," Marshall spoke as they laid back on the grass. Fionna nodded.

"Yeah, it's like impossible to count," she replied. They were shoulder to shoulder with their hands knotted together. This had become normal for them ever since they made up: completely tangled and never apart.

"I bet I can count them," he said bluntly. Fionna giggled.

"I bet you can't," she responded.

"Well, you win that bet because I'm lazy and I don't want to count them."

"You ass," she laughed and nuzzled her head in to the crook of his neck.

"You know it," he muttered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Fionna smiled and closed her eyes, turning her body closer to Marshall and snuggling up closer to him. It wasn't too cold at night, but considering she was in shorts and a teeshirt it was a bit drafty.

"God are you trying to kill me?" Marshall asked as he felt her soft skin against his. She looked up at him with wide worried eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" She questioned nervously. Marshall laughed.

"Not even close, are you kidding?" He replied and leaned down to kiss her lips.

"Then what did you mean?" She mumbled against his mouth.

"Just you…being you. I'm running out of really's right now," he told her.

"How many do you have left?" She inquired.

"I've only got one left, and if things keep going on at this rate I'm fucking done for," he chuckled at the end and pulled back to see her better. She blinked at him.

"Only one? Didn't you have four?"

"I had four, which was immediately reduced down to three right after you laughed," he informed her. Fionna blushed. Marshall bit his lip and ran his free hand through her hair for the hundredth time today. She watched intently as he stared at her, and anticipated what he would do next.

"Fuck, I am trying so hard to hang on to that last one."

"Have you thought about what will happen if you lose it?"

"I'll probably go insane and ask you out on a date," he teased and let his hand trail from her hair to her shoulders and then her waist.

"That sounds terrifying," she grinned.

"I know, right?" He laughed. They laughed together and when they were quiet neither of them felt the need to speak again. Instead, they remained on the grass and watched each other. Fionna pulled herself up to reach his lips and pressed a soft kiss to him. It was short, yet sweet, and instantly made him smile.

"I got it," he said suddenly.

"What?" She asked as she pulled back.

"I just found out why I like you so much," he reiterated.

"Oh?"

He nodded with a content grin.

"What? I'm a good kisser?" She quested sarcastically. Marshall shook his head. "Then what?"

"It's hard to put in to words…it's like…when I'm around you I feel like I'm with you and not with the you other people see," he tried.

"Uhh…what?"

"Like, we present ourselves differently to different people, right?" Fionna nodded. "Right. So, when I'm with you, it feels like you're not trying to present yourself a certain way. You're just being yourself, and yourself is fucking rad," he explained more properly.

"Okay, is that all?"

"Not even close."

"What else is there?"

"God, it's everything, Fi. Just being around you is like my own personal high. I feel so good around you. You're like a tangible version of happiness and excitement. Like my own little daydream, but it's not just that. I feel like a better person around you, y'know? Except different. My flaws are still there, but they align with yours a little so I don't feel so bad, and you don't make me feel guilty for not being as kind or sweet as you. It's fucking amazing," he rambled. Fionna grinned and pulled herself up to sort of straddle him, his waist firm under her thighs. She watched his expression change from his goofy grin to his now dumbfounded gaped jaw. She leaned down so her body was pressed against his and kissed him again. He carefully placed his hands on her legs and let her slowly and tortuously kiss him. When she pulled back, his lidded eyes met her wide ones and he smiled back up at her.

"You pretty much described how you make me feel, except you make me feel so wrong sometimes," she whispered. He chuckled and ran his hands up her figure to further her point.

"God, fucking date me please," he begged. She giggled.

"Maybe."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: back to reality

Marshall was happy. He smiled at the first sight of sunlight as he stretched in his somewhat clean sheets. He was out like a light after he came home from the charity, and kissed Fionna goodnight there. It was a Monday, and he was still ingrained to hate Monday's since preschool. Yet he couldn't be mad if he tried. Breakfast and getting dressed was a breeze, and walking to work was even better. Marshall knew with every step he was closer and closer to Fionna. It sounded cheesy to him, but it was the truth. He wanted to make her as happy as she made him without even trying. She knew he was completely enslaved to her, he practically pledged himself like a boy scout the other night. He had managed to remember to ask to swap numbers, and had texted with her all day and in to the night. Marshall was experiencing something he hadn't felt in years. Puppy love.

He came closer and closer to his shop, and passed by hers as usual. She was at the counter writing some things down. She wore a long white skirt, almost 50's style to match her shop, along with a short sleeved button up tied around her waist. Both her skirt and shirt had flowers that appeared to be painted on. Marshall stopped in front of her store and bit his lip as he tried to decide whether or not he would go in. He didn't see why not. It wasn't like going in to her house, or her bedroom (although he wouldn't mind that). The sign did say closed, but when he turned the handle it easily popped open. An old fashioned bell rang as the door opened and shut behind him. The room had a distinct floral smell along with a certain kind of sweetness. It wasn't the flowers, it was too artificial. There was also a trace of fruit which implied the used of air freshener.

"Sorry, I'm closed right now, come back around 10," she spoke softly, not bothering to look up from what she was writing on. Marshall was surprised by the sound of her voice. She sounded almost…sad. He brushed it off and came up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. He felt her stiffen and pressed a kiss to her neck in attempt to pacify her. Fionna relaxed once she recognized the feel of Marshall's hands and mouth on her body and closed her eyes as he kissed her jaw.

"Good morning," he murmured. Fionna sighed and turned around to face him and wasn't surprised when he instantly kissed her. His lips were soft and addicting as always, yet she somehow managed to push him back slowly. She looked down and away, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"What's wrong?" Marshall asked. Fionna was silent for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Marshall…I really like you," she started. He smiled.

"I really like you too," he said and hugged her waist tightly. Fionna ignored how much she adored the way he held her and cleared her throat.

"I get that, you told me that a couple nights ago," she reminded him. He chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry for being so sappy. Something about you brings that out of me," he spoke softly and leaned in to kiss her again. She pushed him back again, and guiltily looked him in the eye.

"Sorry," he appeared to not be offended by her denial, and simply enjoy holding her instead. Fionna sighed.

"Marshall…I did some thinking," she said, her voice sounding more weak that sad now. His smile faltered, and was replaced with a concerned frown.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" He asked. She shook her head, paused, and then nodded.

"What happened?"

"I just…I was thinking last night. A-and I dunno, Marshall…" she didn't want to say what she had to.

"Don't know what?" He asked, starting to look confused. She wasn't making much sense to him.

"I-I dunno about us…" she said shyly, feeling her eyes start to water. Marshall blinked, and just noticed her puffy red eyes, her red nose, and overall disheveled appearance. He instantly felt bad for her.

"Shit, Fi, don't feel bad about that," he cooed and rubbed her back affectionately.

"If it's too soon, it's too soon. Don't worry about it," he assured her and pulled her in for a hug. Fionna shook her head as she buried it in to his neck.

"I-I'm sorry, I just can't do this," she muffled in to his shirt.

"That's okay, it's fine. Don't worry," he hushed. She started to weep against his chest and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Marshall pitied the girl wrapped in his arms as she tried to control her sobs.

"God…why do you want to be with such a mess?" She asked. He assumed it was probably rhetorical, but he answered anyways.

"You're not a mess, you're just human. You should go easier on yourself," he told her.

"All I've done around you is cry…I'm sorry," she cried.

"Shh…it's okay to cry," he assured her and rubbed her back gently.

"God, I am so sorry…I'm so sorry…" she whimpered. Marshall didn't know how to reply as she sputtered an endless string of apologies and sobs.

"Cake?" Marshall spoke as soon as the other line stopped ringing.

"Hey, Marshall," she answered. He glanced at his clock. It was midnight.

"How's Fionna?" He asked eagerly.

"She's asleep, and she told me what happened today," she informed him.

"Yeah…I feel like shit," he muttered.

"She feels bad too."

"I know, and that's why I feel bad. I just want her to be happy, and if that means not being with me…I'm fine with that," he sighed and leaned back on his bed.

"You really like her. She said that's what made it so hard."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know."

"Is she going to work tomorrow?" He asked.

"No. She's taking a few days off because I'm forcing her to."

"That's good. You're a good friend to her."

"I try."

Marshall chuckled and was silent for a moment.

"Do you…I can't help but be curious, but do you know what brought this up? It seemed like she was pretty happy by the end of the charity thing…"

"I don't know either, all she's said is how guilty she feels. When I ask her about it, she would just shake her head or something."

"Do you think it's anything to do with left over guilt from that one guy?" He questioned.

"Hmm…maybe, she did recently talk about him. She usually can't talk about him much without crying."

"Okay…call me if you need me, okay?" He said.

"Okay. Get some rest, Marshall. I don't want you falling on your face when you're in the middle of a tattoo," she sassed. Marshall breathed a chuckled.

"Got it. G'night," he smiled.

"Goodnight, lover boy."

He hung up his phone and laid on his back for a moment. His eyes traced the stains on his ceiling from the floor above him. It was always dirty, and he couldn't be bothered to clean it. Moments passed as he debated falling asleep or going to the kitchen and grabbing a beer to drown his miseries. The conflict in his brain was too much to think about. It had gotten to the point where he argued with himself so much his mind went blank. He wanted to be angry, yet he couldn't manage for any longer than a minute. Normally whenever he had to deal with things like this he would pick someone up for the night to forget about her. But this wasn't normal. He could feel in his chest the weight of the pain he tried so hard to deny.

The young artist sat up from his bed and combed his fingers through his messy hair. A sigh escaped his lips and he forced himself to stand up and walk to his kitchen. His brain was telling him to just go to sleep, and avoid staying up for as long as possible. For some reason he ignored himself and popped open a cold can of beer. The sour smell instantly dumbed his senses as he allowed the drink to sedate him. Within three sips he was reminiscing in her laugh and her smile. With no direction, he lazily paced around his apartment and glanced down at the sketches he had scattered around his coffee table. Cheap pencils and pens littered the un-crumpled papers and underneath the table, and eraser crumbs were swept to the edges. The last thing he drew was a bluebell. It wasn't his best, but it was his first time trying that species of flower and was using a reference from Google images. He sipped his beer again and sat down to examine his drawings more closely. His brain was stuck going back and forth between his drawings and little things she has said to him. He thought of how he could improve his line work, yet at the same time he thought of how many times she insulted him. It was only when he picked up a pencil and started working on a fresh sheet of paper did his brain start to get along with itself. He had no idea what he was drawing, all he knew was that he needed a distraction. His phone went off when he had gotten started on the details but declined the call without even looking at the caller ID. He had a good idea of who it was, and he didn't really want to talk to that person anytime soon.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: missing you hurts

It had been a little over a week since Marshall and Fionna had spoken to each other. For Marshall it was like having a giant splinter he had to ignore just to function, but for Fionna it was worse than anything before. She bottled it up, and let it fizz inside her. Her guilt and sadness were invisible, but it only built with every moment. She never spoke about him, and refused to think about him. Marshall wasn't as good at that as she was. He would think about her, then drink a couple beers to forget, and then think about her even more. Between the two of them, they were a hot mess. Fionna never talked to Cake about Marshall and the only interaction Marshall had with Cake was a smile or a nod as she passed his shop to get to Fionna's. Cake knew Fionna is tolerant of her bottled up feelings, but she also knew the longer she held it in the worse her break would be.

Marshall came home after a day filled with appointments and walk ins and instantly opened his usual can of poison. He plopped down on his worn couch and pulled his sweaty teeshirt off. The summer heat was really starting to get intense. His apartment had AC, but it only went to a certain degree or else he'd have to pay more. His shop had stronger AC, but the walk back was barely manageable in the summer. It was a longish walk, but it wasn't long enough for him to waste gas and drive. He took another drink of cold liquid as he tried to keep his eyes open. The dim light of the lamp next to his couch was too bright for him to actually fall asleep, but he probably would if he got drunk enough.

Marshall bit his lip and raised the can for another drink, but was instantly interrupted by a knock on his door. At first he thought it was his imagination. It was 10:30 pm and he didn't get many visitors, but a second knock confirmed it was real. He took his time setting down his drink and walking over to open the door. He yawned, stretched, and scratched the back of his neck before twisting the knob. His brain took a moment to recognize the face in front of him, and then he rubbed his eyes to make sure they were working properly.

"Fionna?" He heard his own voice, but couldn't believe the name that left his mouth. The familiar short blond was leaning against his door frame with a goofy grin on her face.

"That's me," she giggled followed by a hiccup. Marshall frowned, and did his best to comprehend what was going on.

"Fionna, are you drunk?" He asked. She laughed again and nodded her head. "How did you get here?"

"I called a cab," she slurred. She lacked a coat for good reason and picked at the frayed edges of her shorts as she awaited his response. Marshall sighed.

"Fionna…I don't want to be rude, but what are you doing here?" He inquired. For the third time she laughed and let her head fall like a limp rag doll.

"That's the real question, isn't it?" She looked up at him and smiled, her red cheeks showing she was piss drunk.

"Do you have an answer?" He questioned. She paused for a moment, and then removed herself from his door frame to stand up somewhat straight.

"No…but I probably should since I'm being rude and just barging in," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her skin sliding against his made him shiver as she smirked up at him.

"Fionna…"

The taste of her name sweeter than ever. He couldn't tell if he sounded cautious, or completely enslaved to her. It didn't matter because not a moment later her lips were against his. He could taste the strong amount of alcohol in her mouth, but for some reason he couldn't function properly. Her hands twisted in his soft hair, and he couldn't hold back a sound of delight for her fingers to be back right where they belong. Before he knew it she was pinned against his door with his hands on her hips and her legs locked around his waist. Marshall could've sworn he was still gripping the knob on his door, but it was evident that he let go a while ago. The young artist allowed the florist over take his mouth with her tongue and drag her hands down his bare chest. He pulled away for air while she continued against his neck and dragged her nails down his back lightly. His mind was racing as her lips worked and her hips started to grind against his. He groaned in to her neck and tried to catch his breath.

"Fuck…" he cursed. "Fionna, what are we doing?" He asked breathlessly. She couldn't smile any more. She was too focused on her pleasure that she could barely huff out her answer.

"We're gonna fuck."

"Shit, Fi…I-I don't think…we should do that," he stammered.

Fionna let her legs down from his waist and pushed him back. Marshall stumbled back on his old beaten up couch, his jeans tight and showcasing his arousal clear for her to see. She straddled him and pushed his shoulder down when he tried to sit up. He didn't want to stop, but he didn't want to hurt her either. She was obviously drunk, and they haven't talked in over a week. They both knew something was still wrong and this wouldn't end well.

"I really missed you Marshall," she whispered and ran her hands over his chest again. He swallowed hard as her eyes wandered all over him.

"I haven't thought about you all week, but now I can't stop," she breathed and shifted her hips slightly against his erection. Marshall gave a quiet gasp as he obediently stayed flat on his back.

"I thought about how good it felt when you fucked me…and how I want to feel you again," her words made him shiver and slid his hands on her legs. She grinned when he touched her and started to move her hips against his.

"Jesus Christ…" Marshall muttered under his breath. Fionna giggled and invited him to touch her more. She lead his hands under her shirt and let him brush above the waistband of her shorts that were starting to look ridiculously shorter the more she moved. It wasn't long before she peeled off her shirt to reveal her pale stomach and rose red bra. She bit her lip as he stared up at her, and laughed at his obvious urge to reach up and grab her.

"You wanna touch me? Pin me down?" She asked and leaned down to him. He licked his lips and trailed his hands up her waist and under her bust as her hips circled at a new angle.

"You're killing me," he mumbled. She grinned and quickly pressed kisses to the side of his neck and collar bone. He surreptitiously slid his hands higher on her body and successfully grabbed her breasts. She smiled against his skin and bit the area of skin she was kissing. He was breathless as she rocked her hips and sucked on his skin. His eyes rolled back and he couldn't help but squeeze the soft flesh in his grasp. Fionna gasped and moaned in to his neck, and nearly drove him insane.

"Ah…fuck," he huffed and incessantly groped at her chest. She chuckled and pulled herself back up pulling down his hands which instantly started unzipping her shorts instead.

"Do you wanna fuck me again?" She asked, smiling at his desperation as he nodded.

He peeled back the denim as much as he could before she swatted away his hands and briefly got up to shimmy out of the faded and torn shorts. Once she had returned she instantly started undoing his buckle as he watched her intently. He noticed her matching lingerie and reached out to touch her. She grinned and rolled her hips against him again while taking out a condom from her bra. His grip on her tightened, and he moaned from how good she made him feel. Before he knew it she had pulled out his length from his boxers and rolled on the condom then slowly easing down on his length. She gasped at the first contact, and Marshall could barely contain the pleasure she gave him.

"Fuck…fucking…ah!" Marshall moaned and gripped her hips like a vice. Fionna laughed and moaned, sliding down slowly until she met his base and stayed still a while. They both were breathing heavy, but remained silent until Fionna decided to move again. She slowly started to pull him out and push him back in again, never letting him fully leave her. The blond panted slowly, and the feeling of Marshall's hands all over her made her feel so much more unstable.

"Fuck," she whimpered and started pushing against him faster and faster and really let herself go.

The only thing that kept her grounded was his waist between her thighs and her hands on his abdomen. Other than that, her head was stuck in the clouds. Her light panting turned in to desperate gasps of air as she dug her nails in to his skin and let his scent wash over her. His hands explored her ass and started pushing her in to him for her while he squeezed her firm doughy flesh. He was reduced down to hopeless gasps and hissing the moment she started moving, and he had only gotten worse the faster she went. She fed off of his voice and let his hands ram her hips to his. The blond was a mixture of moaning and heavy breathing before she leaned down and let him buck his hips in to her and dig his nails in to her ass and under her panties.

She kissed the side on his neck, and he flung his head back in the pleasure. Of course, she took advantage of the extra space, and started sucking and biting at his neck. She was too high in her own dreamland to recognize she was soon about to come down, but when it hit it hit her hard. Marshall hit his limit right after hers at the sound of her final moan, and let her wiggle against him a little more to savor the feeling before she pulled herself from him. They both took some time to collect their breathing before Fionna sat up and ran her hand through her messy hair. Marshall peeled off the condom and threw it in his trash an after tying it off. He tucked himself away and looked over at Fionna. She was already pulling up her shorts and looking around for her shirt when Marshall caught her hand.

"Fionna," he spoke softly. She looked down at him, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"I…I need to go," she stammered and avoided his eyes.

"Please stay," he pleaded. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"I'm sorry."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: you hurt me I'll hurt you

Marshall woke up on his couch confused and achy. His muscles were sore, and he could feel exhaustion still clinging to his body. It took him a moment to process why he was on his couch and not in his bed. He never slept on his couch, it was too rickety and stiff. The room was dim, and it seemed lonelier than usual. He groaned and checked his phone for the time. It was barely eight o'clock, but he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. So instead he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His mind was still trying to rake up the memories from the previous night but all he could remember was dozing off on the couch and having the craziest sexiest dream imaginable…unless.

"Fuck," he cursed and looked in to the trash can next to his couch. As he suspected, a used and tied off condom sat on top of a pile of crumpled up papers. He groaned again and smacked his forehead. How was he so easily seduced? It's no secret he likes the way she looks, but there had to be more. He only remembered having one beer last night, and she was completely hammered. Marshall sat back and sunk in to his cushions as he wrapped his arms around himself. It was times like these he wished he invested in some throw pillows to hug. He just wanted to sink deeper in to his couch and disappear forever.

The young artist sat there for a good fifteen minutes when he realized his face was wet. He reached up to touch his face and felt tears falling down his cheeks. It was a mystery to him why he was crying, but once he knew it he hated it. He glared at the wetness on his fingers and furiously wiped the rest off his face. There's no reason for him to cry. He has every right to be angry, but he doesn't cry. Marshall never cries. He can't remember the last time he cried. It was probably after his aunts funeral by himself, but that was when he was ten years old.

"What the hell," he growled and got up to take a shower. He hated himself.

Cake was worried. Fionna stopped texting her after she got off of work, and she hasn't answered her calls all morning. Last night she checked her apartment, but she wasn't there. She did her best to get some sleep and then rushed to Fionna's shoppe once she knew it would be open, yet the blond was no where in sight. Cake cursed and pounded on the door once, making the bell scream inside and startle her. She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at the contraption before turning around and leaning her back on the door. The black beauty sighed and rested her head against the door as well, looking at the sky with a frown glued to her lips. She felt so helpless.

She knew Fionna was particular about her emotions, but she had no idea how hard it would be once they got out of controls. She spent every day the past week visiting her and chatting with her on the phone. Most of the times it felt like everything was back to normal, but then she would accidentally mention Marshall. Fionna never talked about him, and Cake knew she was trying to avoid him. The thing was she never got mad at her. Instead she would laugh it off and change the topic. She was yet to witness her friend breakdown…something told her it was very-

"Cake?"

-soon…

"Hmm?" She looked over and spotted Marshall with his keys out in front of his store. He was waiting for her to reply.

"Oh! Hey Marshall." She peeled herself from Fionna's shoppe door and bounced her way over to the familiar tattooist. She took a moment to notice his disheveled appearance. He looked tired as shit, and his tee shirt and shorts looked as if he had given up for the day. He was unlocking his store as he looked up at her.

"Hey, Cake. What's up?" He asked with a smile. It was obviously forced.

"Um, I was just looking for Fionna," she told him. He tensed up at the sound of her name and opened the door for her.

"I doubt she would be working today," he muttered and opened the door wider for Cake. "Come on in, let's chat," he invited. Cake nodded and hopped in to his spacious parlor. He shut the door behind him and flicked the lights on despite the sun shining through the windows.

"Don't like the sunlight?" She asked.

"Nah, it's too easy to make shadows and it disrupts my work," he said. She nodded. It made sense to her.

"Plus, the colors are different in daylight and artificial light. If it looks good in a studio, it'll most likely look good any-"

"Why isn't Fionna coming in to work today?" Cake interrupted. Marshall paused, trying to take in her question without going crazy. He wasn't normally a sensitive guy, but for some reason this was hard. He did his best to maintain eye contact as he took a deep breath.

"She…she doesn't work today," he lied.

"She takes Saturday's off and it's Thursday," she told him. He laughed nervously.

"Is it? Fuck, I'm losing track of time. I thought it was Saturday."

It was obvious he was hiding something, but it wasn't until now that Cake noticed his eyes. They were tired, red, and puffy. She could tell by the way they looked so lifeless and exhausted that he had been crying. Instantly her heart hurt.

"Marshall, were you…crying earlier?" She asked. Her question made his fake smile fade, but he did his best to bring it back.

"What? No way, I just had something in my eye earlier," he tried his best to laugh it off as he made his way to the cash register and started organizing it. "I haven't cried in like 16 years, so no I wasn't crying."

Cake followed him and folded her arms as she gave him a serious look.

"Marshall, don't lie to me. What happened?" She demanded to know. He shook his head, biting his lip as he counted through the register.

"Nothing happened, I dunno why you think something happened," he continued. He was only fooling himself.

"I know you're lying," she told him. He looked up at her.

"I'm not-"

"Marshall," she interrupted. "You're crying right now," she informed him. He reached up and touched his face and felt the same wetness he felt this morning. He instantly tugged on his teeshirt and wiped the slow tears from his face as he sniffled.

"I'm fine," he said quietly.

"What happened," Cake insisted. She starred at him and waited for him to look up at her. The look on his face was a mixture of anguish and desperation. Desperation for her to drop it, and for his tear ducts to be removed immediately. When he finally did look up at her he hesitated, but spoke quickly afterwards.

"Fionna…she came over last night," he finally told her. Cake blinked.

"What happened?"

"S-she was…drunk. She was vey drunk…a-and I remember I had one drink before she came. But…sh…she was so drunk…" he paused to take a few deep breaths and clear his throat. "She didn't tell me why she was there, all she said was she took a cab. A-and…she was smiling…and she looked at me like I was the only thing that could make her happy." Marshall paused once more and noticed more tear drops on the cash register. He cleaned them off and wiped them away, sniffling once more. Cake place a hand on his shoulder.

"What did she do?" She questioned softly, using a lot more sympathy in her voice than before.

"She started to kiss me, a-and I didn't even realize how long we were at it…I knew I…we. I knew we shouldn't have done it, but it was like things were back to normal in a weird way," he spoke softly and bit his lip. "She slept with me…but she didn't stay the night. She, um…she left right after," he muttered and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Like…right afterwards?" Cake asked. He nodded.

"I asked her to stay…all she said was sorry," he said, his voice a lot stronger than before after he took a moment to collect himself.

"What else did she say that stood out to you?"

"She said that she missed me, and that she hadn't thought of me all week but she did tonight and she couldn't stop…other than that just a bunch of nonsense."

"God, she's a mess," Cake grumbled and wiped away some wetness from his face.

"You should probably check on her at her apartment…I have a feeling she's not taking this well," he suggested. Cake nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him. He chuckled and left his arms at his sides.

"I appreciate it, but I don't really need a hug right now-"

"Who said it was for you?" She muffled in to his chest as she hugged him. He smiled and returned her embrace, feeling a trace of wetness soak in to his teeshirt.

"I'm sorry she did that…I had no idea," she whispered.

"Don't worry, it's not your job to control her. She's responsible for her own actions, and she's probably regretting it," he assured her as she pulled back. Cake nodded.

"I'll talk to you later, but for now I'm gonna head to her apartment," she said.

"Okay," he replied.

"Do you want me to tell her anything for you?" Cake asked. Marshall sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. It took him a moment before shaking his head and turning back to his cash register.

"No…"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: stay the night

Marshall never really locked his apartment door when he was home. He never felt the need to. Even if someone broke in when he was sleeping what would they take? His unfinished sketches? His cheap ass beer? Possibly the most expensive thing he owned was his shitty TV he never used. He should probably sell that sometime. The only thing his dad paid for was his phone and his shop, everything else was up to him. He wasn't complaining, but he knew his father had money to spare. It didn't matter though, he wouldn't really know what to do with that money anyways. He was happy where he was at, and didn't need anything particularly fancy to survive. All he needed was a place to crash and a place to eat.

It had now been two weeks since he had last seen Fionna. He had gotten to the point where he could avoid thinking about her most of the time, but when he did it wasn't terrible. Just memories of her laugh and smile when he was happy, and traces of her tears when he felt down. All he hoped was that she was doing okay. Cake was chatting with him on a regular basis and told him how she was doing every now and then. It sounded like she was doing fine. She was smiling and talking like normal, and business was booming for her. Last he heard she was preparing for the recession, but Cake was still concerned. It was almost as if she was too happy considering what had happened recently. She never mentioned him and told her she didn't remember that night two weeks ago. She told him that Fionna didn't even look like she had cried that morning. He did his best to push that thought out of his head whenever it came up. He didn't want to think about how she went unscathed while he was a broken mess.

The young artist stopped drinking after work, and had decided to order a pizza a couple days over two weeks since that night. It was a long day, and he felt the need for something easy. Thankfully, his father never let him starve either and sent him a monthly allowance for take out. He was busy counting the dollars in his wallet and trying to calculate the tip on his phone when there was a knock.

"Be right there!" He called and pulled out the right amount of cash. His fingers flipped through the bills once more as he walked over to the door and opened it.

"Okay…so like, $9.25 and a dollar thirty for the tip?" He asked before looking up. Once his hazel eyes met blue he instantly tensed up and flinched, surprised not to find the pizza delivery man at his door. The blond giggled.

"I didn't know I was so cheap, is that just for tonsil tennis?" Fionna teased. This time she held a bottle and didn't bother trying to be polite. She walked past him and in to his apartment, looking around as she took another sip of her poison. Marshall gaped at her as she walked past him, and couldn't do anything more but stare.

"It's nice to see you've cleaned up a little," she said as she noticed the lack of trash littered across the ground and over his coffee table. He still couldn't manage to speak. The blond turned around to face him and tipped the last of her beer.

"Got any more?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Something tells me you don't need more," he nearly growled. She giggled and came up closer to him.

"Oh, I know exactly what I need…" she purred and wrapped her arms around his neck. Marshall clenched the cash in his hand as she smiled up at him and tussled his hair.

"Fionna, what the hell are you doing here?" He asked through clenched teeth. She recognized the hostility in his voice and pouted.

"Awh, don't you want me here?" She asked.

"Not if you're gonna do what you did last time," he replied.

"What? I thought you liked one night stands," she challenged.

"Not with someone I…" he stopped himself and took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to say that. "Not with someone I care about."

"That's cute, Marshall, but you can drop the act. I probably won't remember it in the morning," she sighed and nuzzled in to his neck. Marshall tried to stop her, but her lips were already stuck to his skin. He bit his lip as she kissed him and brought her hands to cup his face. He wanted more than anything to stop her, but he missed her too much to let her leave.

"Ah-hem." Marshall looked over to see the actually delivery guy at his door waiting patiently. He sighed and pulled himself away from Fionna to hand the kid the cash and retrieve his pizza.

"Thanks," he said. The boy nodded and Marshall shut the door politely.

"So that's what you ordered," Fionna hummed behind him as she hugged his waist. Marshall clenched his jaw and pulled her arms off so he could set his dinner on the counter.

"I'll allow you to stay for dinner, but if you get any ideas I'm kicking you out," he threatened. She followed him to his kitchen and leaned her head on his shoulder as he opened the box.

"What ever do you mean?" She asked innocently. He looked down at her with a stern glare.

"I mean I'm not gonna be you're sex buddy tonight. If you want that, you're gonna have to find someone else," he informed her. She frowned for real this time and crossed her arms.

"Well that's not gonna happen, you're the only person who would fuck me," she whined. Marshall rolled his eyes and got out some cheap plates he got from the dollar store from his cupboard.

"Oh please, I bet anyone would," he grumbled, displeased at the thought of someone else touching her like that.

"I mean someone I want," she replied. He frowned at her and handed her a plate with two slices of pizza on it. She accepted and turned to look through his fridge. He served himself and sat down on his old couch.

"You lied to me," she sang as she pulled out one of his remaining cans of beer.

"I lied for a reason."

"You weren't gonna drink it anyways," she slurred as she popped open the can and took a sip of the cold liquid. Marshall sighed and set his plate down on his coffee table. He went up to her and gently took away her can.

"No more for tonight, you've had enough," he scolded. She smiled and leaned closer to him.

"You don't even know how much I've had."

"I don't need to know. I can tell it's been too many," he said and went to sit back down with his pizza. Fionna rolled her eyes and walked over to sit next to him.

"Why are you picking off the pineapple?" He asked.

"I don't like pineapple."

"Nonsense, pineapple is great. It's the best on pizza."

"It's the worst on pizza," she said stubbornly, Marshall side eyed her and shook his head.

"You really are drunk," he said with a mouthful of pizza.

"I would be drunker if you gave me back my drink," she sassed.

"Actually, it's my drink, and there's no way I'm letting you but your liver through more torture," he retorted.

"Maybe it deserves it," she muttered. Marshall was silent for a while as she ate more pizza and glared away from him.

"What do you mean?" He spoke cautiously.

"Nothing," she sighed and finished off her first slice.

"Don't tell me that, I know there's something going on."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"I don't think we can. Because we haven't talked in two weeks, but I don't even know if you remember the last time we talked considering you were just as shit faced," he snapped. She glared over at him and set her plate down.

"Listen, Marshall, I only came here for one thing. You know why. If it doesn't happen, I'm leaving right now."

"Fionna, please-"

"Marshall…I'm serious," she took his plate and set it next to hers before straddling his lap.

"As much as I love arguing and fighting with you, I'd really rather be doing something else," she said seductively. Marshall bit his lip nervously as she stared down at him and placed her hands on his shoulders. He kept his hands to himself and waited for her to talk again.

"C'mon…I know you missed me," she whispered and pressed kisses against his cheek.

"It's not a crime to spend the night every now and then, is it?" She murmured against his jaw.

"You didn't spend the night last time," he reminded her. She paused above his pulse.

"My mistake," she said and resumed kissing his skin.

"So…if I sleep with you…you'll stay the rest of the night?"

"Yes."

"And you won't sneak out early in the morning?"

She hesitated.

"I can't promise anything," she whispered. Marshall frowned and thought while she continued to kiss and lick over the faded marks she had left last time. They had turned a light yellowish color by now, but they were easily re-bruised. He resisted the urge to touch her as long as he could, but the longer he waited the harder it was not to. She lead up to his ear again and giggled.

"Don't try and hold back, please…I need you…" she begged and pulled back to look at him. He looked sad, but Fionna didn't want to think about that now. Right now she wanted to think about how much she missed just the sight of his face. Marshall studied her glittering eyes before reaching up to cup her face and caressing her cheek with his thumb. He hated himself for it, then kissed her.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: can you make love if you're drunk?

Fionn instantly took advantage of his mouth once he allowed her access. Her lips greedily dominated him as she bit his bottom lip and dug her fingers in to his shirt. Marshall, of course, allowed her to enslave him once again and use him to her advantage. His hands spread across her thighs, and pressed against the worn denim of her jeans. She smiled in appreciation of his touch and pressed her body close to his. The young artist followed her movement and pulled her ever closer to him while sliding his hands up to her waist. He pulled out her pony tail and ran his fingers through her now loose hair. Fionna pulled back and tussled her hair to fully free it from the rubber band. Without her mouth, Marshall instead kissed her neck and pushed her hips in to his. Once Fionna let out a moan, there was no going back.

Marshall stood up with her in his arms and her legs wrapped around his hips. She scraped off her shoes behind his back as he carried her to his bedroom and laid her back on his unmade bed. Fionna grinned at the change of scenery and dug her nails in to his hair while he mercilessly sucked and kissed at her neck. She started to peel off his teeshirt while he was opening the front of her jeans. Her feet rubbed against her back, and he could feel the rough texture of her socks on his skin and growled in to her neck. Fionna finally got the fabric off of his body and peeled off her own as well. It wasn't long before their pants were disregarded as well, and they were left in nothing but their undergarments. Of course, Fionna was matching again, and now that Marshall knew she had planned this he couldn't help but appreciate how well boy-shorts flattered her hips. She grinned as he kissed down in between her breasts and slid his hands up and down her waist.

"Fuck, I love the way you touch me," she moaned and grabbed his hair. He bucked against her and relished in her gasp. The feeling of her soft skin made all the pain melt away despite the strong smell of alcohol that emanated from her. She bit her lip and pulled his face up to kiss him and roll over so she was now on top of him.

"You seem eager tonight," she whispered in his ear as she dragged her body up to sit on him rather than lay. Marshall grunted as her weight settled on top of him. He continued to explore her body with his hands as she chuckled and shifted down lower on his body.

"I didn't expect you to be so desperate," she murmured and dragged her hand down his chest while the other remained on the side of his face.

"It's been a while," was his only response.

"How long? A couple night?" She asked and rolled her hips against his. He cursed and cupped her ass with his hands.

"You know how long," he managed. Fionna paused for a moment, her hips halted in their place as she stared down at him.

"You mean…you haven't been sleeping with other girls?" She questioned. He shook his head and moved his hands down to her thighs. She was silent for a moment, but then quickly snapped out of it and resumed what she was doing.

"I guess it's good I drank tonight," she teased and let her hands trail down to his groin.

"I'd prefer it if you were sober," he replied and groaned as she squeezed him. She grinned and shook her head.

"No…sober Fionna is no where near as fun as me," she purred.

"I don't like you just because you're-" he was interrupted by his own moan as the blond started to palm him.

"Sober Fionna isn't nearly this dirty," she whispered and kissed his lips.

Marshall happily kissed her back, trying to get lost in her mouth to forget what it had said. She grinned against him and trailed kisses down his neck and chest as he watched the ceiling. It had been over a month and a half since he had received a blow job…and her mouth has always been promising to him. He shut his eyes as he felt her lips come closer and closer to his boxers which she was tugging off him at the same rate. When he felt her touch him he sighed and enjoyed the feel of her breath against his shaft. She boldly took him in to her mouth and was pleased to hear him hiss. He grabbed at the sheets and panted as she sucked on his head and squeezed near the base. His eyes opened halfway and he stared at the ceiling while clawing at the sheets and inching his hands closer to her. Fionna took him in deeper, and pressed her warm hot tongue against his skin. The tattooist moaned and finally gave in to gripping her long hair. His fingers ran through the silky golden strands, but he didn't grab her anymore. He didn't want to hurt her.

The blond was relentless, and kept him gasping and writhing under her tongue. He moaned a long string of curse words as he let her work and reach behind him to grab at the sheets. The absence of his warm hands made Fionna look up and smile as she ran her tongue up his shaft. He shivered and bit his lip. His eyes were shut tight, and was pleasantly surprised when she took him in again and placed her hand on his side. Another line of curse words escaped him as he focused on her warm wet mouth and the way her tongue moved so lewdly. He hadn't even realized he had been rolling his hips in to her mouth until she forced down his hips. It wasn't long after that till he had completely lost it. He writhed and kicked and moaned, trying to warn her he was about to cum but was always interrupted with a gasp or a moan. One last curse word and he was gone, trying to pull her off only for her to let his cum drip off her chin.

"That's gross," she mumbled after she had swallowed what was in her mouth. Marshall was too busy catching his breath on his back to pay attention to her as she wiped the remaining semen away from her chin with his boxers. She flopped down next to him and watched the ceiling with him.

"What…d'you expect? Frosting?" He asked. Fionna giggled.

"Nah, but I definitely expected more salty than bitter. You taste a lot more bitter than one of my ex's, but he was the only person I blew before this…" she rambled on and on until Marshall rolled over and silenced her with an eager kiss.

"You're turn," he whispered and unclasped her bra. She made a timid sound and watched as he trailed down her body.

"Y-you don't h-have to. I-I'm…I'mmmm…" she moaned as he pressed his fingers against her panties.

"Fine? You can fool me when you're this wet," he said as he rubbed slowly.

"Fuck…Marshall…" she groaned and grabbed on to his raven locks.

"What do you want?" He asked and kissed the side of her breast.

"Your mouth," she breathed and opened her legs for him. Marshall finally smiled and pushed her panties aside to shove a finger inside her.

"I wonder if you can handle it," he whispered as she gasped and moaned loudly.

"God," she hissed and shoved her underwear down. Marshall chuckled and pulled them off for her before returning between her thighs and kissing her hip.

"If you tease me…I-I swear to god! I-I'll…I'll-" She growled and nearly pulled his hair out.

"You'll what?" He challenged.

"Fuck!" She whined. Marshall grinned and then dragged his tongue between her legs. She instantly cried out and dug her nails in his scalp. He continued to lick her before swirling his tongue around her clit. Now she was the one cursing with her fingers through his hair. Marshall enjoyed it more than he imagined he would. Eating her out was a constant fantasy he had, and he was more than happy to get the chance to finally do it. Her gasps and moans were so much better and hotter in real life than in his mind. Her clit was extra sensitive this time for some reason, just the slightest touch left her trembling and begging for him. He guessed it was from their lack of activities, or because he had never really paid close attention to her sensitivity before. She was completely helpless to his tongue, and groaned when he returned inside her with two fingers. Her head felt like it was filled with air, and she was having trouble knowing exactly where she was. All she knew was Marshall made her feel so good and she never wanted to stop. Of course, when it did she was completely incapable of doing anything else. She laid there flat on her back as Marshall wiped his mouth and pressed one last kiss to her lips before laying down next to her and mumbling goodnight in her ear.

Marshall's eyes were stuck on Fionna's bare back. The moonlight from his window painted stripes on her beautiful skin, and invited him to run his fingers over her delicate back. He did so, of course, and couldn't help to feel empty despite her being right next to him. The person he was with tonight was different from the person he adored so much. It hurt him to watch her go through this and make him go through it too. He could tell this was something so much more than her not being ready to date him. He wanted her to tell him what was wrong and let him hold her when she obviously needed it. But she was a different person when she was drunk, he had witnessed it three times. He thought back to how she reacted to him not sleeping with other people, and whether it was a good or bad reaction. Interacting with her was hurting both of them, no matter what it was. No strings attached was obviously the most painful, and staying the night just made Marshall miss her so much more even though she was right next to him.

He sighed and looked back up to the ceiling when he felt the girl next to him stir and turn towards him. She nuzzled in to his neck and body and clung on to him with her leg and arm. Marshall looked down at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she snuggled up closer to him. She was almost hugging him by the way she clung to him. Her body was warm, and it became warmer once it touched his. Marshall didn't have the heart to push her away, and he loved her attention too much to decline this kind of opportunity. A few minutes passed and he heard her mumble against his neck and rub her face in to him. What she had said was indistinguishable to him, but it didn't matter because she said it clearer right afterwards.

"I love him…" she muttered and held him tighter.

"I love him a lot."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: cry me a river

It was the middle of July. The previous time Marshall saw her was the end of June, and before that the middle of June. The first time he talked with her was in November. He could barely remember the terrible joke he told her that upset her so much. The next time he spoke with her was in May. That was also the first night he spent with her. The memories of meeting her, and getting to know her stirred in Marshall's stomach while his brain was still eating through the heavy stuff. The fact that she couldn't be with him for some mysterious reason, yet she still came to spend the night with him. The fact that she was clinging tightly to his body as he thought. But most of all what she had mumbled in her sleep a couple hours ago.

She loves someone, and Marshall has a feeling it wasn't him. His brain kept looping back to that no matter how hard he tried to distract himself. Had there been someone else that she didn't tell him about? Was she talking about that one ex that completely ruined her? Maybe she was dreaming about her pets or something. He couldn't recall of she ever talked about her pets. Cake might've mentioned something about cats. Marshall likes cats. He would hope she did have cats, but it didn't really matter anyways. She doesn't like him.

Marshall sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as the sun leaked through his blinds. The girl curled up next to him started to shift and grunt when the blankets were caught on her ankles. He kept his eyes shut as he waited for her to wake up. She yawned and squeezed him in her arms, forcing a smile to tug at his lips. A few moments passed when she opened her eyes to red and purple skin. It took her a moment to realize that was her work and running her finger over the hickeys on Marshall's collar bone. She sighed and sat up, running her fingers through her messy hair and looking down at Marshall as he rested his eyes.

"Shit," she grumbled to herself. The blond examined the room and located her jeans and shirt at the foot of the bed. Her bra was underneath the covers, but her underwear was near the door. He must've tossed them when he…when he did whatever he did. She couldn't quite remember what happened. She quickly snapped on her bra and crawled to the edge of the bed. While she gathered her stuff Marshall sat up and watched her. He was disappointed yet not at the same time. He was expecting this.

"Leaving?" He asked. Fionna squeaked and fell off the end of his bed. She peeked up at him and quickly pulled up her panties.

"Uh…um…" she couldn't think about what to say or how to say it. Marshall raised and eyebrow, showing his impatience as she was silent.

"Make sure to close the door behind you," he muttered bitterly as he climbed out of his bed.

"Marshall…" she watched as he left her in his bedroom and entered his bathroom. It was strange that his bathroom was only connected to his bedroom, but it's probably just how the floor plans worked. He left the door open a hair which made Fionna linger. She knew it would be best if she left, but she also couldn't help but feel the need to talk to him. She had been avoiding him for so long…she didn't know how to fix this.

Fionna sighed and dropped her jeans and teeshirt before approaching his bathroom door. She heard him turn on his sink and peeked inside. He was finishing up brushing his teeth at the sink and looking through his cabinet for what she assumed a razor. She faintly remembered feeling a hint of a stubble against her lips last night. The blond took a deep breath before gently pushing the door open. Marshall rinsed out his mouth and spotted her in the mirror, purposely looking down and away from her and shutting off the sink.

"Did you forget something?" He asked. She kept her hand on the knob, too scared to speak. He waited for her response and clicked on his razor. It was obvious he didn't want to waste anymore time on her.

"I…Marshall…" she didn't knew what she was trying to say, all she knew was that she should be saying something. He clenched his teeth at the sound of his name. The sound of her voice saying his name when she wasn't drunk.

"If you don't want to stay then go, I figured you would've left before I woke up anyways," he told her and ran the razor over his cheeks. She was silent again, but felt worse the longer she stayed.

"No promises, remember?" he muttered. Fionna shook her head. She had no idea what he was referring to. His eyes caught her confusion in the mirror, and then sighed.

"Last night. Do you remember anything?" He asked sharply. Again, she shook her head.

"What…exactly did we do?" Her voice was timid and soft, and made him feel guilty for being so harsh this morning. He clicked off his razor once he had gotten the last hair and turned to face her.

"What do you think?" He snarked and crossed his arms. She blushed and looked down at her feet. It was different not looking at him through the mirror. It was more confrontational.

"I get that we…did stuff, but…what did I do?" She murmured.

"What exactly do you remember?"

"Getting drunk in my apartment…and then being with you," she recalled. Marshall hesitated and pushed his hair back out of his face.

"I…I only slept with you because you said you'd stay the night. But when I asked about you not sneaking out you told me no promises," he informed her. Her eyes snapped up to his. She instantly felt terrible for incentivizing him in to that.

"What else did I say?"

"You talked shit about yourself, and just wanted to fuck the entire time you arrived…" he trailed off and but his lip.

"Fuck, I hate myself when I'm drunk," she groaned and rubbed her eyes. Marshall watched as she then rubbed her shoulder in attempts to comfort herself.

"You…also said something else," he spoke. Her frown deepened.

"You were dirty taking and said something about me being desperate. You said something about me not having sex in a couple days. I remember you were surprised when I told you the last time I had sex was when you stopped by about two weeks ago," he told her. Everything about her screamed guilt. Marshall swallowed hard.

"Have you…been sleeping with other people?" He asked. He was aware he had no right. She wasn't his girlfriend, and they weren't even technically together anymore. But he was too goddamn curious. Fionna was quiet for too long. He let his head down; she didn't have to say anything.

"I get it…" he muttered.

"Marshall-"

"Just…stop, Fionna," he raised his voice. "I get that you're over me, and that I was delusional to think I still had a chance."

"Marshall, please, it wasn't like that-"

"Then what was it like!" He snapped.

"I didn't sleep with them!" She shouted back.

"Then what the fuck did you do?"

"I just…God, Marshall! I couldn't stop thinking about you!" She growled. Marshall's glare softened. He was silent as she tried to collect herself.

"I was tired, okay? I was tired of sitting in my apartment thinking about the hundreds of girls you must've been drowning in. I was…j-jealous…and I just needed to get out. I went to Marty's and picked up the first person I talked to," she confessed. Marshall took a moment to let this new knowledge sink in to his brain.

"Who was it?" He asked. She shook her head and sighed.

"I dunno, I didn't ask their name and I couldn't specify their gender, but it didn't matter because I didn't go far with them," she replied. Marshall was silent again as she waited for him to talk. When he didn't she crossed her arms.

"Look, I'm sorry. All we did was make out and touch a little. We didn't have sex, I promise-"

"Why should it matter? You're not my girlfriend," he interrupted.

"Marshall-"

"No, it's fine. We're not dating. I probably just make you feel guilty all of the time anyways-"

"Marshall, don't-"

"How about you don't, Fionna!" He shouted. "You came to my apartment shit-faced and didn't even bother to spend the night, and then you pull the same shit again and try to sneak out? Are you kidding me? I don't know what to think about you anymore! I can't tell if you have feelings for me, or if you just wanna fuck me again! I swear, if you're over me then just fucking leave! I'm done with you toying with me and using me to your advantage! I'm not you're fuck buddy!"

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have-"

"You're damn right you shouldn't have! I've been trying my hardest to get over you, but I can't Fionna! All my life I've been able to forget people in an instant, but for some goddamn reason I can't get you out of me head! And the worst part is you seem to be doing fucking fine! Every time Cake tells me about you she tells me how happy you are and how focused on your business you are while I'm here suffering! I don't…I don't even know why…" Marshall glared at her, but she no longer looked guilty. Instead she was shocked.

"Marshall…"

"You know what? I probably know why…last night you were talking in your sleep and said something about loving someone."

"Marshall, you're crying-"

"Who is it? I swear to god if it's that asshole who left you for no good reason, I'll go insane," he growled. Fionna stepped closer to him and reached up to wipe the tears sliding down his face.

"Marsh-"

"Just tell me who it is! Tell me so I can just get over you-"

"Marshall! Calm down," she begged and wrapped her arms around him. He instantly embraced her and buried his face in to her neck, trying to control the god forsaken tears that ran down his cheeks.

"Why'd you leave? I just want to make you happy, even if it hurts me." He whispered and ran his fingers through her hair. She squeezed his body affectionately and drew simple patterns on his back.

"…because I love you, Marshall."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: love me

Marshall sobbed as he held Fionna close to him. He could feel her heartbeat next to his and the softness of her skin. For a long time he couldn't, and being able to really hold her again felt like heaven. He squeezed her against him as he let the last of his tears escape him. The blond was just as affectionate with him, digging her fingers back in his hair and pressing chaste kisses over his collarbone. The silence between them wasn't awkward like it had been when they woke up. Instead it was a sign of relief and joy. Marshall sniffled and pulled back to press his forehead to hers.

"You love me?" He asked. She nodded and brought up her hands to cup his face. "That still doesn't make sense. If you love me…why'd you leave?"

Fionna sighed.

"I was scared," she admitted.

"Of what?" He questioned while shifting his hands down to her waist and rubbing his thumb against her back. The florist hesitated.

"You remind me of him," she whispered. Marshall blinked.

"Who? Your ex?"

"Yeah…but in a good way. You remind me of how he used to make me feel before things got bad. You make me feel like I'm 18 again…" she watched his face to make sure she didn't upset him anymore, and looked in to his warm hazel eyes. "You're funny, and you're sweet, and you're charming, and you're so flirty. But you're also stubborn, and difficult sometimes…and that's what I liked about him…it's what I love about you," she told him. Marshall paused to think about what she said.

"Are you scared I'm going to leave you like he did?" He asked. Fionna bit her lip nervously and nodded reluctantly.

"I…I-I can't help it…I can't take that again, but I'd rather re-live that moment for eternity with him than see you do that," she said, her voice wavering as she sniffled. Marshall brought his hand to her cheek and wiped away the wetness from her eye before it had the chance to roll down her face.

"Shhh…Fi, it's okay," he cooed. "It's okay to feel that way…you can't control the way you feel."

"I-I know you would never do that…but I was thinking about it that night after the charity and I couldn't risk it. I c-couldn't risk losing you that w-way," she weeped.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I'm a mess, Marshall…why do you want to be with me?" She sobbed. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry for everything I-I did."

"Fionna…I'm sorry too-" she shook her head again and stopped him.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong-"

"Yes, I did. I didn't help you two weeks ago."

"I wouldn't have listened," she muttered. Marshall dried her eyes with his thumbs again and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Fionna…you're not a mess. This is just life. I don't know why you would want to be with me, either. I'm literally a mess and I have no organizational skills, but you love me for some reason," he pointed out. She nodded and sniffled.

"I love you…so much," she whimpered. Marshall couldn't help but smile a little before pulling her in for another tight hug.

"God, I love you too. I love you so fucking much it's ridiculous," he said as he pressed kisses against the side of her face.

"Really?" She asked hopefully. Marshall laughed and let her go to kiss her on the lips.

"Of fucking course," he smiled and kissed her again.

Fionna gasped and held on to his shoulders when he pressed his lips against hers. Tasting her instead of her alcohol drenched tongue was like bliss to him, and he instantly wanted more. He wanted to be wrapped up in her body again, and feel nothing between their skin. The feel of her shyness and anticipation was refreshing against his tongue as he coaxed her mouth open for him to properly kiss. Her soft gateway opened for him as he pressed her body closer to his. His hands remained on her waist and cheek, and it drove her insane.

"Marshall," she breathed as she parted for air.

"Mm-hm?" He hummed and ran his lips against her neck.

"Are we gonna-"

"Yes," he interrupted and pressed open mouthed kisses to her neck. Fionna gasped at the feeling of his warm tongue on her skin and dug her nails in to his shoulders. He grinned and then kissed her lips again, raking his fingers in her roots and holding her even closer to him. The blond moaned softly and shortly when her body was smushed to his which raised a growl from the back of Marshall's throat. He quickly lifted her up and brought her back to his bed without breaking their kiss or stumbling. She crawled back further on his mattress and he eagerly followed. He opened his drawer and got out his box of condoms, then returned to Fionna with lust in his heavy lidded eyes. She whimpered as he kissed her neck again and wrapped her arms around him.

"I missed you so much," she panted.

"God, I fucking missed you too," he grunted.

Fionna moaned as he held on to her hip and grinded down in to her. Everything felt so much more clear, and she was happy knowing she wouldn't forget any of this. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rubbed herself in to him at a much faster pace. Marshall groaned and let his head drop as she slowed down her hips and milked out another moan from him. He held on to her hips and continued to move his as well which made him moan once more. The blond smiled at the sound and decided to move faster.

Soon the air was filled with moaning and gasping and panting as well as the heat they kindled from their bodies being so close together. Fionna held on whatever part of Marshall's body she could grab while he kissed down to her breasts and over the flexible fabric over her bra. They had completely forgotten about the condom as they moved faster and faster together. It was long until Fionna came and squeezed his waist with her thighs. Her warmth and lingering last moans as well as the last needed amount of friction brought him down with her.

They stayed still and took a moment to catch their breath. Fionna laid limp under Marshall with her ankles loosely crossed across his back and her lungs demanding air quickly. The young artist was out of breath as well and nuzzled in to her neck as his cum soaked in to his boxers. After a few more moments they both smiled and laughed.

"You just jizzed in your pants like a fucking 16 year old," Fionna chortled. Marshall laughed and pulled his head up to look down at her.

"Oh yeah? What about those moans? I almost felt like I was taking your fucking virginity," he teased. Fionna blushed, but grinned as she pinched his nose.

"Whatever, don't act like you weren't in to it," she sassed and stuck her tongue out at him. He smirked and leaned down to brush his lips against hers.

"There's no way I'm denying it, baby," he purred and kissed her. She giggled and ran her hands down his arms. The way he looked down at her was as if she was the most amazing person he had ever met. His eyes on her made her feel special, and wanted to make him feel the same. She smiled as he pulled back some of her hair from her face.

"Hey, Marshall," she spoke softly.

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my boyfriend?" She asked. Marshall couldn't even try to hold back his grin, but restrained himself from instantly kissing her again. He cleared his throat and chuckled.

"I dunno, I'll have to think about it," he teased. Fionna rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. He laughed and then leaned to kiss her.

"Of course I will, I'm in love with you for Christ's sake," he giggled. There was no way to hide his elation and joy as he drowned her in kisses over her checks and squeezing her rather than hugging her. She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and captured her lips with his. He lingered and deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue against hers. Fionna instantly melted in his arms and returned his affections. When he pulled back they were nothing but breathing heavy, and giggled slightly at each other.

"Are you ready to go again?" She asked. Marshall nodded as she pushed the elastic of his undershorts over his hips,

"Baby, there's never gonna be a time I'm not ready," he murmured in a husky voice before leaning down and kissing her bitten and swollen lips.

The blond wrapped her legs around his waist once more and rubbed her skin over his as he reached for the box of condoms again and pulled one out. He took a moment to peel the package open and roll it on while Fionna pressed sweet and sloppy kisses against his throat and clavicle. Marshall hissed when she nipped at his skin and reached down to help him put on the rubber contraption. Once it was pulled in to place he wasted no time pulling her panties out of the way and pushing in. Fionna gasped and clung on to him tightly, panting as he tried to pacify her with kisses over her neck and breasts.

"Fuck," she cursed and curled her fingers in his hair.

He grunted in response as his hips started to rock gently back and forth. She moaned the moment he started to move while he bit at the thick fabric of her bra. When his jaws relaxed he moaned quietly and kissed whatever skin was available to him. He moved faster, but didn't bother to rush it. The pure pleasure he felt just by being with her truthfully and honestly was enough to sustain him for a life time. Her sweet skin and coarse sounds made him forget about the world around him. He panted against her neck as she moaned louder and arched her body against him.

"Shit…fucking…" he groaned and picked up his pace again. She rolled her own hips up in to his and flung her head back from the pleasure. He bit and sucked her chest and neck, leaving love bites up and down her skin and over her breasts. Every time he touched her she felt like a puddle of lust and desperation for more of him. She engulfed him in her arms and legs and decided to kiss him back, trailing over the side of his neck and up to his earlobe. He groaned and rested his forehead on her chest.

"Fuck, Fionna," he breathed.

She pulled his face up to hers and cupped his face as he hungrily kissed her lips. He lost track of himself and ended up rutting against her like a desperate horny teenager losing his virginity. He reached down and stroked the sweet bundle of flesh between her legs and relished as she moaned again and again. Each sound she made was louder than the last, and brought him higher by the second. Fionna felt the pressure inside her build. The feeling of his body and skin working and brushing against her made her uncontrollable. His lips kissed her jaw and trailed back to hers between her moans while his free hand groped her breast and squeezed her soft flesh. She was finally pushed over the top when he moaned and bit down on her lower lip. Her body froze and tensed up as he thrusted in to her, and her voice was caught in the middle of her throat.

He came just as she started to shiver from the leftover pulsating feelings then stopped moving to let the pleasure and heat roll through him. Marshall closed his eyes and bit his lip as the last of the feeling drained out of him, and then collapsed on top of Fionna with exhausted breathing. The blond was still catching her breath while he rested in her arms. They laid in silence, enjoying each others presence and warmth for a good ten minutes before Marshall softly and gently kissed each hickey he left.

"That…was…fucking…amazing," he murmured between each affection. She giggled and hugged him close.

"Yeah…" she agreed and ran her fingers through his hair. He looked up at her as she sighed and pressed her forehead to his.

"I'm so sorry, Marshall," she whispered. He gave her a sympathetic smile and kissed her.

"I know you are," he replied.

"I wish…is there anyway I could make it up to you?" She asked. He chuckled and reached up to cup her face. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and nuzzled against her.

"All I need is you, and your love to be happy," he murmured and held her close with his other hand. She smiled.

"I love you, Marshall…so much."

"I love you too, Fi. I'll love you forever," he hummed and closed his eyes.

"Forever is a long time. Are you sure you can put up with me?" She teased. He laughed and kissed her cheek.

"Absolutely."


	27. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Lemme see it," Marshall demanded while hugging her waist. His arms wrapped around her from behind as he undid her belt and tugged back the denim.

"You saw it last night," she giggled.

"Yeah, but I didn't see it today."

He kissed her neck before she turned around and he got down on his knees. The young artist moved the fabric of her shirt out of the way and pressed kisses to her hip. Fionna rolled her eyes and flicked his ear. He smirked up at her and then looked down at the new ink on her skin. It had been about a month or so since she had gotten it, and it was finally fully healed. Of course, he had a matching one on his hip, but it was so satisfying to see his first initial marked on her body.

"I can't believe you let me do this," he said and kissed it once more. Fionna grinned and ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to kiss her skin and pin her against their counter.

"I can't believe we finally moved in together. It's been nearly a year and a half and we're doing it now? Why did we wait so long?"

"I dunno. All I know is that we're gonna fuck like rabbits now that we're stuck together," he chuckled. Fionna blushed and bit her lip as he tugged a little more of her jeans down.

"We already fucked like rabbits before," she pointed out.

"Rabbits squared," he muffled against her skin.

"It doesn't help that you still have the mentality of a 16 year old," she teased and gripped his hair when he reached behind her and cupped her ass.

"Oh you would've hated me at 16, I was so much worse. I'd go through a box of tissues in a week and then just jerk it in a sock until there were more," he told her.

"Mmm, sounds like you're just horny all the time," she cooed. Marshall grinned and stood up to kiss her lips. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and bit his lip.

"It doesn't help when you're so goddamn hot," he groaned and pulled at her jeans more. Just as he was about to hoist her up on the counter Marshall's phone buzzed in his pocket. He cursed and pulled it out to see who it was. He identified the number and hung it up without a second thought and stuffed it back in his pockets.

"Who was that?" Fionna asked.

"It's…no one important," he replied. Fionna frowned at him.

"Marshall, I thought we agreed not to hide things after what happened after the charity," she reminded him. He sighed.

"It's just…it's my mom. I haven't spoken to her since she left and she's been trying to call me before we got together. I think my dad keeps giving her my number, but I can't be sure," he confessed.

"When did your mother leave you?" She asked.

"More like when I left her. She left my dad when I was ten, but I stopped talking to her when I was fourteen," he said.

"Is there a reason you stopped?"

He nodded.

"She…wanted me to come visit her, but my dad won all the rights since he was more able to take care of me. Plus they used me to fight a lot, and that was my dads way of telling her he won or whatever. I never appreciated it, and I honestly didn't want to see her."

"That's terrible, Marshall," Fionna murmured and pressed a couple kisses to his cheek. "I'm sorry you went through that."

"I'm fine, really. It's just…nothing has really changed, so I don't know why she wants to talk again now," he sighed. Fionna looked him in the eye and cupped his face.

"You have changed so much, Marshall. You're so much better than the fourteen year old she thought she knew back then. You're different now, you've grown and you've learned, and she probably wants to know what she missed out," Fionna said and pressed her forehead against his. Marshall breathed deeply and smiled.

"It's because I have you, I hope you realize that," he whispered. Fionna rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his shoulder.

"Whatever."

"Really, I'm being honest," he said with a husky voice and lifted her on the counter behind her.

"I've never felt so alive in my life," his voice was low and sent shivers down her spine as he kissed her neck and face.

"Marshall…you're getting off track," she said quietly, letting his hands slide over her body and press her close.

"I don't give a crap about my mom right now. All I can focus on is you," he mumbled and resumed pulling off her pants.

"Marshall…"

"I love you so much, Fi," he breathed.

"I love you too, Marsh," she replied.

"But you need to resolve this thing about your mother." She told him. Marshall stopped kissing her skin and sighed.

"Okay. The next time she calls I'll pick up," he promised.

"Is that what you want?" She asked. Marshall thought for a moment and shrugged.

"I guess we'll see. Now, back to more important things…" he purred and leaned foreword. Fionna smiled and rolled her eyes before accepting his eager mouth.

His lips kneaded against hers as he slowly unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it aside to expose her soft skin. The blond bit her lip as Marshall possessively pulled her hips closer to him. He looked down at her chest and reached up to dig his hands under her bra. Fionna giggled and moaned before leaning forward to kiss and bit at his neck. She grabbed his wrists in attempt to stabilize herself, but she only got more lost in how he touched her. Marshall's breath got more tight as she wrapped her legs around him and put her hands all over his chest. She started to undo the buttons of his grey flannel and grinned at the fabric.

"You remember the first night we spent together?" She asked as she pulled at his shirt.

"God, how could I forget," he smiled and drifted his hands down her figure.

"You were wearing this shirt," she replied and brushed it off his shoulders.

"Mmm, and you were wearing a tight little blue skirt," he recalled.

"I'm surprised you remember that old thing."

"It hugs your hips so nicely, there's no way I could forget it," he sighed and kissed her neck.

"I hope that wasn't what you were thinking before we got to your apartment," she giggled.

"Honey, you know it was a lot lot worse," he purred and undid her bra. Fionna rolled her eyes and moaned as he bit in to her breast and sucked at her nipple. Her smile never faded except when she heard a soft meow from somewhere close. She looked around a found Miskers sat on the counter right next to her, and Wittens down on the ground pawing at her bowl. The blond laughed as the cat butted against her side, and gently pulled Marshall off her chest.

"Huh?"

"Miskers and Wittens need some food," she informed him as she redid her bra and hopped off the counter. He watched as she scooped cat food from the bag in to the bowls and smiled as the cats rushed to eat their food. She was busy putting the scoop back in to the giant cat food bag when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and his head lean on her shoulder affectionately.

"Oh, hey there," she grinned and held his hand over her stomach.

"Hey there," he mumbled happily while nuzzling in to her neck.

"You wanna move this in to the bedroom? Cake and I put the sheets on while you were getting lunch," she said in a low voice.

"In a bit," he replied and kissed her neck once sweetly. His hand drifted over her tattoo again and he kissed her skin again. "I don't mind stalling a little."

"That's so unlike you, what happened to the important things?" She teased. He chuckled and ran his fingers over her smooth skin. He knew it wasn't swollen anymore, so there was no raise in the skin to tell where it was, but he enjoyed knowing it was there.

"I love you," he told her softly and squeezed her affectionally.

"I love you too," she responded and turned her head to press a soft kiss to his lips.

"I don't think you understand just how much I love you," he murmured and pressed his lips to hers again.

"You wanna bet?" She challenged and tilted her head to fit with his better. Marshall couldn't resist the urge to kiss her and knead his lips in to hers. When she pulled back Marshall was fixated on the way the sunset hit her face. Every strand of blond hair shimmered like gold, and her smile was as radiant as ever. He was speechless at her amount of happiness and beauty and knowing that he was the one that made her happy. All he ever wanted was to make her happy. He felt so overwhelmed with the pure joy emanating from her that he couldn't think straight. His mind couldn't form a coherent thought. The only logical thing his brain could string together was…

"Let's get married," he blurted. Fionna blinked and gaped at him.

"Married?" She asked. He nodded.

"Let's get married, Fi. It just makes so much sense right now. Like, it's the only logical thing," he said. Fionna bit her lip nervously.

"I dunno, Marshall, are you sure this is the smart thing to do right now? We've only been together a year and a half," she said. Marshall nodded his head, all to familiar with her anxiety about taking risks.

"Yes, I'm so sure. I've never been so certain about anything else in my life. There's nothing else I can think of doing right now," he assured her.

"But, think of the economy. Weddings are really popular and the pricing is really expensive these days. Maybe we should wait for the recession or something-"

"Fionna, we'll be okay with money. Trust me, I have the most perfect place in mind," he said as she turned in his arms to face him.

"Where?"

"When my parents were together they would always take me down to the country. The wheat field is golden at sunset, and you can see all the stars at night. My father owns the property, and he'd definitely let us get married there. We don't have to invite everyone, we can do another wedding later when the market is down and pricing is lower. Fionna…" he sighed and held her body close against him. "I love you so much, there's nothing else I wanna do."

Fionna smiled and cupped his face.

"Cake and her mother are amazing seamstresses, I bet I could get a dress from them really cheap," she said. Marshall grinned and hugged her tight, pressing kisses to her neck and cheek.

"So you'll do it? You'll marry me?" He asked ecstatically. She nodded, her grin just as big as his and tears of joy welled up in her eyes.

"Yes, yes. Of course."

A laugh bubbled out of Marshall's throat as he picked her up and spun her around. She clung to him and giggled when he rushed off to their bedroom and laid her down on their king sized bed. Marshall couldn't stop smiling as he kissed her lips, and face, and neck. He didn't try to strip her yet, and simply enjoyed holding her close and feeling her skin graze against his.

"God, I can't believe it," he said and pulled back to look down at her.

"You're gonna be my wife."

"And you'll be my husband."

"For life and shit."

"Wow, that's very romantic of you, Marshall."

"You know I'm the best at romance, baby."

Fionna giggled.

"That's why I love you."


End file.
